Under the Full Moon
by KyokoKitten
Summary: My latest fic. I've been working on it for about a year now. Aizen is still alive and is still after Yuki! Please Read and Review - You might want to read psyco-gotenks's fic glass moon before this one for some background. M for Violence.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any Bleach characters, except for the ones made by me.

Psyco-Gotenks' characters are used with is permission. You should really read his fic "Glass Moon" Before you read mine. This story takes place directly after that one and it might be easier to understand some things if you read that one first.

Kiyomi Ayako belongs to her owner ChouTsubasaPixels

If you'd like to see what some of the characters look like, I've done some drawings on my Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any characters that I did not make myself.

If you want to see my characters and some of Psyco-Gotenks' Characters go to my DeviantArt page and go to the Bleach fan/OC art gallery ^-^

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Chapter 1

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Three figures sat around a nearly pitch black room. They only saw each other as dark silhouettes against the tiny amount of light coming into the room. In the very center of the room, a tall man sat upon a large white throne. His brown hair slicked back, a single strand falling in front of his face. A slight smile on his face cut through the darkness. The other two figures sat on the staircase below him. One of them near the bottom, the other directly at his feet.

He turned toward the one at the bottom of the stairs,

"Are you ready?"

"Always, Sir."

"Good," He pointed at the large doorway across from them, "Then I suggest you get moving, we only have a limited time in which to do this."

"Yes, sir." He said as he bowed, then disappeared.

He then turned his attention to the third figure,

"Jaku…"

The small hunched figure shuddered at the mere sound of his name coming from that person,

"Y-yes…sir…?"

"I've decided to give you a second chance…But if you fail me again…"

He didn't even have to finish his thought for Jaku to know what he meant,

"Now, I want you to check on Kiauna. Inform her of the plan, and to prepare herself. "

"B-But…"

"What?"

"N-nothing…" He slowly stood up, "I'll do it right away…" He quickly ran out of the room without one look back.

The figure in the throne sat back and tapped his fingers together,

"It's nearly time for a new battle to begin."

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Jaku limped slowly along a long, pure white hallway. He hadn't fully recovered from the injuries he had sustained from his battle with Kenpachi. His brown school boy's uniform was torn in several places, his usually neat short, brown hair, now very messy. His mask rested on his bottom jaw, a hairline crack up the center on the right side.

It was a long walk to Kiauna's room. She had somehow managed to escape from Kurotsuchi, and had boarded herself up in her room ever since returning to Hueco Mundo. The door to her room was very tall and narrow, rounded at the top, 2 glass panes fitted there. They outlined a detailed carving of a crescent moon,

He let out a long sigh, "Why me…Why do I have to deal with her…"

After a moment of thinking about whether he really wanted to talk to her or not, he decided he probably should and knocked on her door as hard as he possibly could,

"Kiauna! I'm coming in!"

He forced the door open and walked into the nearly pitch dark room. The only light flowed in from the moon, which showed outside the large window across the room from him. He looked around a little bit, his eyes beginning to adjust to the darkness,

"Kiauna?"

"What the hell do you want…?" A voice hissed from a dark corner.

"I'm supposed to tell you about our new plan…" He said, a small amount of fear showing in his voice. When Kiauna had returned to Hueco Mundo she was different, frightening,

"Then speak and go…"

"We're going to try and get our hands on that little girl Shinigami, the one with the hollow…You're to lead the initial attack…" He paused, "…or something like that."

"Me? You mean I can go out?"

"Of course…It's your own fault you're in here anyway…"

She let out a low growl, "That doesn't matter. And anyway, I have to get ready, go and tell the master I'll be happy to do it."

"I'm not your errand boy…" He said in a very low tone.

"Just go!" She shrieked.

He opened the door, "Fine, but you'd better hurry up; I know how long it takes for you to get ready."

"Just get the hell out!"

He smirked and slipped from the room, closing the door just as a glass vase flew at his head, he could hear it shatter against the other side,

"Bitch…"

"I heard that!"

He chuckled a little as he made his way back down the hall.

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Jaku walked back into the large, dark main room,

"She says she'll do it."

"Damn straight!"

He jumped as soon as he heard her voice behind him. There stood Kiauna. She pretty much looked the same as she had originally looked, the same short white dress, white stockings , and shiny black shoes. Her mask, shaped like a beret, sat on top of her head. Her blue hair in high pigtails upon her head. The only difference now was a very long and thin X shaped scar that ran right through the center of the little pink heart that sat on her right cheek. An eerie grin was spread across her face.

"I'm ready for whatever you've got for me to do!"

The still shadowed figure loomed over the two of them,

"Good." He pointed across the room at a large group of Arrancar, including Kiauna's Fraccion,

"You'll take this group of Arrancar and travel to SeiReiTei. Your job is to be a distraction as well as help in obtaining the 9th division Taichou, Hitsugaya Yuki. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir!" She gave a little salute and left the room.

Jaku looked hopefully at the figure at the top of the stairs,

"What about me?"

"You'll stay here, I'll need someone to assist me here."

His eyes lit up, "Yes, sir!"

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That's Chapter 1! I hope you like it so far. I know there's a lot of descriptive stuff, but I'm trying to get most of that out of the way so that I don't have to do it so much in later chapters, although yes there is a little later on.

Please Review!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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The sun was blazing hot in SeiReiTei, very unusual for a place where the weather was usually comfortable. Hitsugaya Yuki was making her daily rounds with her Fukutaichou, Hisagi Shuuhei. Neither of them was dressed as they usually would be. Unohana had declared that, due to the extreme heat, everyone was to dress as cool as possible that day. For Hisagi that simply meant removing his shirt, it hung down around his waist, his Zanpakuto sticking out from under it. Ever since the previous attack to SeiReiTei, they'd all been allowed to carry around their weapons.

Yuki didn't wear her top at all. Instead she just wore her usual bandage wrapped torso with her Hayori over the top of it. She had her fine white hair pulled up into a clip to keep it off of her neck; although, it still fell in its normal fashion in the front. She also just wore her sandals with no tabi socks; they could just barely be seen from under her Hakama.

"What the hell is with this sudden heat?" She exclaimed, the weather putting her in a very bad mood.

"It sure is strange…" Hisagi sighed, exhausted from having traveled around all day in the heat.

They walked a little further until the entered the entertainment district. Yuki suddenly stopped short, causing Hisagi to slam right into her,

"Ah! Taichou! Are you al-… Eh? Taichou?"

She hadn't even noticed or budged, she seemed to be staring very intently at something. He followed her gaze to a small stand directly across from where they stood.

"Eh? Ice Cream?"

He'd just finished his thought when he noticed his Taichou was already at the window.

Yuki was just barely tall enough to rest her arm on the counter. The girl working there let out a loud gasp when she noticed Yuki standing there,

"Ahhh!" She squealed, "You're so cute!"

Yuki's eye twitched,

"…So I've been told…"

"What can I get for you sweetie?"

"How 'bout…" She started, quickly scanning the board full of flavors, "Oooone…oooof…Everything ya got." She glanced back at Hisagi, "Oh, and one of whatever you've got left for him." She pointed back at him.

The girl simply stood there, a look of shock on her face, "E-everything…?"

"What're you waiting for?" Yuki demanded, "I don't have all day!"

The girl snapped out of her daze, "Oh yes…Of course. Right away…"

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After a short wait, she was done. She'd boxed up 30 cones for Yuki , and left one out for Hisagi,

"Shuuhei! Come and get yours!"

He smiled, she'd actually thought of him. He walked up to the booth and the girl handed him his cone. His smile immediately changed to a frown. It was a terrible mutant of a pile of ice cream plopped onto a cone,

"Why…Why do I always get the leftovers…?"

"I'm sorry…" The girl said, blushing a little, "I tried to make it a good combination for you…"

Hisagi's mood suddenly lifted as he took the cone from her,

"Well, as long as you made it, I'm sure it'll be great."

Yuki choked out a laugh.

Hisagi shot her a glare, "It's absolutely true."

"Whatever." Yuki said, stuffing an entire cone into her mouth. She chewed it up, swallowed it, then crumpled up the empty box, "Do your flirting later… We're still on duty here…"

The girl just stared at her, that same look of shock coming back to her face,

"Wha…How…? How'd you eat all those so fast…?"

Hisagi tried to calm her down, "Don't mind her…She can just…Eat…A lot…"

"I think I'm going to go lay down now…" She quickly retreated.

"Wait! Don't go!" Hisagi shouted after her.

"Give it up, Shuuhei...I don't think she deals with too many high level Shinigami."

"I guess you're right…" He sighed, "Let's go."

Yuki walked off, Hisagi trailing behind, eating his ice cream.

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By the time they got back to the 9th division area it was dark outside. It seemed to take forever for them to make it back. It didn't help that every new recruit stopped Yuki every few minutes to ask her if she was really a Taichou. This also didn't help her already bad mood. The moment they returned she went straight to her quarters and slammed the door shut. Hisagi sighed and carefully knocked on the door,

"Taichou…?"

"WHAT?"

"I just wanted to let you know I'm going to be leaving for awhile."

"Whatever!"

He shrugged his shoulders and left, not wanting to add more fuel to the fire.

Yuki walked back to her small kitchen, discarding her Hayori on the way,

"Maybe I just need to relax a little…?"

She quickly grabbed a popsicle out of her small freezer, then sat down at the round table in her main room. After a moment she built up and released a huge amount of reiatsu. Huge ice spikes erupted from her walls. They covered her entire room and even burst out of her front window. She let out a long sigh as the room instantly cooled off.

She made quick work of her snack, and was nearly finished with it when she heard some unsuspecting Shinigami run into the spike that was protruding out her window. She quickly ate the last bite and jumped up, running to the door. She slid it open to see Shinta sitting there, rubbing his head.

"Shinta?"

"Eh?" He looked up to see her standing there, "Oh, hey."

"Are you okay?"

"Oh…Yeah, I'm fine. I've had worse hits to the head…" He slowly stood up, "How are you doing?"

"Fine…Why?"

"Just…all that stuff with the Arrancar."

"It's fine, whatever happens, happens."

"I guess so…"

Suddenly, something caught her eye. A huge and bright explosion in the distance,

"Wha-What was that?" Shinta exclaimed.

"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out."

She reached just inside the door where she had leaned Korihoshi, and grabbed it, then sped off, in her bare feet, toward the explosion.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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Kiauna laughed shrilly as she shot Cero's in every direction,

"This is great! It's been so long since I've really been able to let loose!"

"Kiauna-Sama…? If you don't mind my saying so…Don't you think you're going a little overboard…?"

Kiauna glared at the Arrancar who had spoken to her. She had light pink hair pulled up into a ponytail made up of corkscrew curls. Her long bangs framed her cute face. Her huge blue eyes seemed to take up a large portion of her face. Her mask consisted of two triangular pieces that sat underneath each of her eyes. She was childlike in height and wore a white Gothic Lolita dress with black lacing and a black petticoat. Black and white stockings covered her legs and perfectly shined Mary Janes her feet.

"Are you questioning me, Hirune?" Kiauna growled.

"No…Of course not Kiauna-Sama…It just seems that you're drawing a lot of unnecessary attention to yourself…"

"I plan to draw that Shinigami girl to me. I'm going to catch her myself…And, Hirune, as the last of my Fraccion, I expect you to do as I say!" She let out an insane laugh.

Hirune cowered a little, afraid that she might turn on her next if she wasn't careful.

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Yuki ran through SeiReiTei until she came to the area Kiauna was in. She stood just above her on the rooftop of a nearby building,

"Why the hell is she doing that? Is she stupid or something?" She commented.

She then spotted Hirune standing behind her. She looked nervous; looking around in all directions as if afraid she might be caught,

"She should be easy enough to take out."

She was just preparing to jump when she noticed a presence behind her. She spun around to find another Arrancar standing there. He was extremely tall with very long and muscular arms. He had short, slicked back hair; glowing yellow eyes complimented his attractive face. His mask was a large piece that sat on his forehead above his right eye. He wore a white button down shirt that was open, a white wife beater underneath. He wore long white cargo pants with a loose black belt and black boots. He watched her carefully before speaking,

"You're…Yuki-Taichou…Hm?" He spoke very slowly.

"How do you know who I am?"

"It is our mission to apprehend you…"

"Me? Why?"

"It's not my job…To explain…"

He drew his dagger-like Zanpakuto from under his shirt,

"I am sorry…But I have to take you with me…"

"I don't think so..."

He started clomping slowly toward her. She carefully backed up to the edge of the building and stopped. He smiled as he continued toward her,

"You're coming with us."

He suddenly sprang toward her and managed to tackle her over the edge of the building, slamming her into the ground below, directly at the feet of Kiauna.

She looked down at him,

"Ah, I see you've brought me a gift Ren."

He looked up,

"Oh…Yes…Of course…"

He stood slowly, bringing Yuki up with him,

"I brought her just for you, Kiauna…"

"Wonderful…Would you mind holding her still for me? I want to see her face when I inject my venom into her…"

He did as he was told, placing her feet on the ground and holding her completely still,

"I wonder…Chibi-Taichou…Have you heard from your Hollow recently?" She hissed, circling around her,

"…No…"

"Well, I'm sure you will be reacquainted soon, hm?"

She laughed as she quickly transformed. Her body became serpentine, a cobra hood formed around her head. Her fingers grew 6 inch long, deathly sharp claws. In this form you could see what Kurotsuchi had done to her. Her armor was cracked and broken in several places. Kurotsuchi also, for some reason, saw fit to install larger fangs into her mouth. They were about a foot long and were thick enough that her top lip stuck way out,

"I hope you're ready…" She looked up at Ren, "Hold her tight now…Hirune?"

"Yes?"

"You keep watch."

"Yes Kiauna-Sama."

Ren held Yuki's arms behind her back with one hand and the other hand in the middle of her back to keep her standing straight up.

Kiauna carefully ran her hand down the left side of Yuki's neck, stopping at the point between her neck and shoulder,

"Wh-What're you going to do…?"

"You'll find out soon enough…Perhaps it's a good thing you're blind on this side, hm?" She smirked, "One thing, just let me know when I hit your heart, hm?"

She leaned down, opening her mouth up as wide as she possibly could. She struck quickly, driving her fangs into Yuki's shoulder, hard, only a small squeal managed to escape her lips.

Kiauna drove her fangs slowly into Yuki's body. Yuki convulsed with every inch her fangs moved, until finally they hit their mark. Blood began to trickle from her mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut tight.

"Got it…" Kiauna muttered. She let out a barely audible moan as she released her venom into Yuki's body,

"A…Ah…" Yuki Squealed.

Suddenly the loud sound of a chain filled the air. Kiauna let out a loud choking sound as the chain wrapped around her neck, yanking her off of Yuki, ripping her fangs from Yuki. Ren let her go and she collapsed to her knees, in a bit of a daze. She looked up just in time to see Kazeshini rip out of Kiauna's back and fly back into its master's hand,

"Hisagi..?"

Kiauna growled, "Ren! Hirune! Retreat now!"

She opened up a portal, "Our work is done here…" They stepped through, "See you soon, Chibi- Taichou…" The next second, they were gone.

Hisagi quickly resheathed Kazeshini and ran over to Yuki's side. He knelt down,

"Taichou…"

She looked up at him, obviously getting weaker,

"Hisagi…Take me…To my quarters…"

"But…You're injured."

She pushed him away and got to her feet,

"I'll just go by myself…"

She shunpoed before Hisagi could even get to his feet to stop her,

"Taichou!"

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Yuki finally made it back to her quarters, collapsing the moment she staggered inside. She could no longer move. Her body had completely given out. The room began to spin and warp around her as a familiar voice filled her head,

"**Having a little trouble are we?" ** It hissed.

"That's not…your business…"

"**Of course it is. This is a good chance for us to get a little closer, hm?"**

Yuki could hear the sound of a chain dragging across the floor,

"**It must be painful, what with all that venom coursing through your veins…Making you weak…"**

Yuki tried to get up, but her arms wouldn't support her weight and she just fell back down,

"**So I'm right…" **Laughter filled Yuki's ears as she felt cold metal wrap around her neck,

"A…A chain…?" Yuki whispered.

"**The chain is yours…But I have all control over it…"**

The chain was yanked and Yuki let out a loud choking cough as it tightened around her neck,

"**Now's my chance to take your body for my own!"**

Loud cackling laughter filled the entire space as the Hollow choked Yuki. She clawed at the metal as it dug into her throat. Everything started to get cloudy when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her ribs.

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"Wake up!"

Yuki's eyes popped open to a pair of feet in front of her face. Her ribs ached from the kick she'd just received,

"You really are still alive."

Yuki let out a long breath, "That voice…You're…"

"A ghost?" He laughed, "Not quite."

He grabbed her by the left wrist and yanked her up off of the floor. Blood gushed out of the holes Kiauna had left on her shoulder,

"Hm…You're bleeding quite a bit more than I expected. I guess that doesn't matter…"

He tossed her over his shoulder,

"You'll be coming with me."

"Wh-where..?"

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough."

Suddenly they heard footsteps running toward Yuki's door. He wrapped his hand around the hilt of his Zanpakuto,

"He'll soon regret his timing."

The door slammed open,

"Hisagi!" Yuki shrieked, "Get out of here!"

But it was too late. The blade tore through his body. He fell to his knees.

He looked up, eyes widening at the sight of the figure before him,

"T-Tousen? But you're…"

"Dead, hm?" He smirked.

He glanced at Yuki,

"I suppose I should give you some medicine for your pain…"

He pulled Yuki off of his shoulder and held her at arms length with one hand around her neck. He reached his other hand into his robes and pulled out a small vial,

"I forgot I was told to give it to you…" He removed the cap.

Hisagi tried to get up, but with his injuries he could do nothing but watch. Tousen shoved the vial into Yuki's mouth and poured the liquid down her throat. She slowly reached up and tried to push his hand away. He smirked,

"You won't have that fight in you much longer."

After a moment her arm fell limply back at her side and he tossed her back over his shoulder. He opened a portal behind him,

"Don't worry Hisagi, you'll meet again. Only by then, she'll be quite a bit different." He stepped into the portal.

"Yuki-Taichou!"

The portal quickly closed. Hisagi slammed his fists into the floor,

"Damn it!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
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Yuki groggily opened her eyes. Her vision was fuzzy and she could barely keep her eyes open. She tried to lift her arm to her face, but could only get it up a few inches before it stopped,

"Wh…"

She glanced down to see her arms and legs were bound to the bed she was laying on. She lay her head back down, her mind struggling to grasp the situation.

Just then she heard the door creak open across the room from her,

"You're awake! " An excited voice exclaimed.

"Where…am I?"

"Oh, I can't tell you that. I will say though, you're a very heavy sleeper! It's been almost a week since you got here!"

"A week…?" She took a second to think about that, as things began to become a bit clearer,

"Tousen!"

"Oh dear. You're beginning to regain your memory. I should go, I'll be back soon." He quickly left.

Yuki looked around the room a bit. It was full of equipment. There was a backlit shelf, full of jars. Each with different colored liquids inside. Next to her bed was a shiny metal tray. On it was a scalpel, a very large syringe, and a bottle with a milky white liquid inside, a large warning label wrapped around it saying something about it causing severe burns to the skin. Fear began to well up in her chest,

"What the hell is going on here…?"

Suddenly the door swung open again, the same young boy who had been in the room before came in, followed by an all too familiar figure. Her heart sank at the mere sight of him,

"A-Aizen…?"

"Are you really that surprised to see me?"

He walked around to her side and looked down at her,

"I suppose I'm not that surprised. I am, after all, supposed to be dead."

"So all that stuff…with Tousen…"

"Oh yes, I imagine that all felt a bit like a dream. I assure you, it happened." He smiled, "And what's going to happen now, is real as well. It will, likely, be the worst pain you'll ever feel in your entire life."

"What do you plan to do with me…?"

"Jaku…Please fetch me that bottle there?" He pointed to the one on the tray.

Jaku happily trotted over to the tray and picked up the bottle, along with the syringe, quickly checking the long, wide, needle. He then took both items back to Aizen, placing them in his open hand.

Aizen picked up the bottle and held it between his index finger and thumb, holding it in front of her face,

"To a hollow, and injection of this, is no more than a mere tickle. But for a being, such as say…a Shinigami…It's painful beyond imagination."

"No…You aren't thinking of doing….What I think…"

"Let's just say…I'm finishing my experiment that I started with you all that time ago…" He started to fill the syringe with liquid, "I've always wanted to see if a Shinigami could survive the full transformation process. In the past I've only had partial transformations survive. But, you are the first I've gotten my hands on that has a Hollow."

"You…You can't do this!"

"Oh my dear, but I can…I can do whatever I please. You really have no choice in the matter whatsoever."

She struggled against the shackles that held her down,

"Struggle all you like, the more you pull, the more reiatsu you're going to lose."

"To be honest, I'd rather die than be an experiment for you!"

"That's simply the fear talking…You won't mean it in a little while," He placed the needle on top of the large vein in her arm, "I promise you, you won't."

He pushed the needle into her arm and as far up into the vein as it would go,

"I certainly hope you're paying attention Jaku…This will only take a moment or two." He paused and looked back at Yuki, "Although for you it may seem a little longer."

He slowly injected the liquid into her arm. He then removed the needle and slightly adjusted the shackles,

"That should be about enough." He stepped back, a smirk on his face.

For a moment, Yuki felt nothing. Then suddenly a pain ripped through her entire body, it was like nothing she had ever experienced before. She felt a strange sensation in her chest that moved up into her throat. She suddenly let out a loud choking sound as a mask began to form on her face. It started off as a squishy blob on the right side of her face, but quickly formed. It became a top jaw with long jagged sharp teeth. The one in the front was a long fang like tooth. In the top corners of the piece were two black circular pieces, making it look like it was screwed into her face. Two smaller pieces formed above the jaw. Thick triangular pieces that curved around her cheek bone and under her eye, they looked a bit like thick cats whiskers. The one bottom one was a shade of blood red. That same red lined under her eyes, which turned to red with catslit pupils. The mask quickly finished forming and when it did she took in a deep breath.

Her hair was the next to change, from snowy white to pitch black. The liquid quickly finished its work in that area and moved down into her body as a loud crack filled the air. Yuki's eyes widened and her breath stopped as all of her bones seemed to break apart at once. She shut her eyes tightly as her limbs and body began to stretch. She dug her hands into the mattress below her, her body trembling from the pain. She opened her eyes and let out a long, drawn out breath. She only had to add the pain in from that before she reached her breaking point and everything went black.

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Don't forget to review ^-^


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

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Hisagi dragged himself out of Yuki's quarters. It took all the strength he could muster just to keep going. He pulled himself out onto the balcony outside and collapsed, his deep chest wound gushing crimson blood onto the wood below him,

"Taichou…"

He tried once more to push himself to his feet when a 9th division member came walking around the corner. He stopped in his tracks the moment he spotted his Fukutaichou,

"Ah! Hisagi-San!"

He ran over to him and knelt down,

"What happened?"

"I-I need you…To take me…To Yamamoto-Taichou…"

"But, Hisagi-Sa-"

"Don't argue! Just do it!"

"O-okay…"

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Yamamoto met with Hisagi right away. He had quite a startling look of shock on his face at the sight of Hisagi's condition,

"This must be some emergency," He sat down, "Tell me."

Hisagi looked up at him from where he stood, hanging on the 9th division member's arm. He could barely hold himself up,

"Yuki-Taichou…She's been taken…"

Yamamoto opened his eyes a bit, "Taken?"

"Y-yes…by…Tousen…"

"Tousen?"

"I saw him…With my own eyes…" He took a deep breath, "Felt his blade…cut through me…" He hunched over a little more.

"You should go, your wounds need immediate attention. I need to contemplate what to do about this."

"Yes sir…" They slowly left, leaving Yamamoto alone to think.

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Yuki slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times to bring things into focus,

"It was a success." Aizen remarked, almost giddy. He stood at the end of her bed, "How are you feeling?"

"What happened?" She asked, completely ignoring his question.

He decided to humor her, "I've given you power…Real power." He made his way to her side, "But in order for you to keep that power, you must do one thing for me."

"And that is…?"

"You must, unquestioningly, do everything I ask of you."

She took a second to think about it, as a small smirk crawled across her face, "You have a deal."

"Good. I suppose I can let you go now."

She felt the straps around her arms and legs loosen enough for her to escape then. She slowly sat up, rubbing her wrists,

"Now then, why don't you follow me."

"Okay…Aizen…Sa…Ma.." She forced out.

He smirked, "Good…"

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He led her from the room and down a long white hall to yet another room,

"This room belongs to you. There are clothes and things for you inside. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. You're pretty much free to do as you please, but do remember our deal."

"Of course…"

She quickly slipped inside, closing the door behind her.

She walked slowly around the room, taking it all in. It was very simple, white walls with black trim. A very tall window was on the far side of the room, overlooking the vast white desert. It had a seat built into it so she could sit and look out. A huge bed sat against the wall, it had a large black metal headboard in an arch shape. The closet was next to the small bedside table. It had a large black door. In fact her room seemed to be the only one with black doors.

She slowly made her way to the closet, swinging the door open with more force than she really needed to. It was vast and full of many different types of clothing.

She spent a long time sorting through all of the different outfits until something caught her eye. A pair of white Hakama with a black obi. She grabbed them and tossed them out onto the bed. She dug around a little more and located some black tabi and white sandals, tossing them outside the closet as well.

She left the closet and quickly changed clothes. She still left her torso uncovered except for the binding there, she decided she was more comfortable this way. She took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. She was now very very tall, almost as tall as Hisagi. Her body was very thin. Her arms were long and thin with very long fingers with 6 inch claws on them. She grinned, revealing the sharp fangs that now made their home in her mouth,

"I'm finally getting what I deserve Yuki…I get my freedom now, and there's nothing you can do about it…" She laughed.

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Yamamoto sat in front of the Taichou and Fukutaichou, he'd called an emergency meeting with all of them. Hisagi stood in Yuki's place,

"This is a major tragedy that has befallen us here. From the information I've been given, Tousen was the one who took her. This means that, there is a chance, Aizen is still alive as well."

An audible gasp filled the room,

"How is that possible? We all saw him die!" Toushiro exclaimed.

"My belief is when his body disappeared, that was the first sign…We should've investigated further…He must've been regenerating himself."

"What…Do we do about this then?" Ukitake asked, trying to stay as calm as possible.

"We'll need to get her back as soon as possible. Knowing Aizen, we don't have much time. As before, I've been in correspondence with Urahara Kisuke. Hitsugaya-Taichou, you are to take Hisagi-San and Abarai-San to meet with him. Kurosaki will meet you with a few others as well. You will be briefed on the plan when you arrive. You should leave immediately, as I said before, our time is limited."

"Yes, sir." Toushiro said, he looked to both Hisagi and Renji, "Let's go."

They nodded and quickly left.

"The rest of you are to prepare for the worst. Kurotsuchi, I expect you to prepare to the fullest, we have no idea what he plans to do with her and may need your help."

"Yes, Of course." He replied.

"Good! Now go!"

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Toushiro met with Renji and Hisagi just outside the 4th division area, Hisagi was just getting one last check before he was able to leave,

"Hisagi…are you sure you're okay to be doing this?" Toushiro asked.

"I'll be…Fine…" He said, slight hesitation in his voice.

Toushiro paused a moment, then turned,

"Alright…Then let's be off."

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Ichigo, Orihime, and Ishida sat around a round table in the back of Urahara's shop. Ginta and Ururu sat on either side of him, Ururu serving tea to everyone. Ichigo impatiently tapped his fingers on the table,

"What the hell is taking so long."

"Patience, Kurosaki…" Ishida replied.

"That's right," Urahara said calmly, "Everything is ready, you can leave as soon as the others get here."

"Every moment wasted is too long!"

Orihime put his hand on her shoulder, "It doesn't do any good to panic, Kurosaki-Kun…"

He sighed, "I know…but…"

Before he could finish they heard voices outside the door and the three Shinigami shoved their way into the room,

"Well well, welcome back, have a seat if you would." Urahara instructed.

They all sat,

"Now, I have calculated that the only logical move for Aizen would be to return to Hueco Mundo. It is the only place where he has compete control. I have prepared a portal for you. Ginta and Ururu will take you, I, unfortunately, have other business to attend to. I just want to wish you luck, I have a feeling you'll need it."

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	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

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Aizen sat upon his throne in the dark, Jaku, once again, seated at his feet,

"So…What's our next move?"

"They'll be coming after her soon. No doubt they already know I have returned here. You, Yuki and Kiauna are to…Give them a nice warm welcome."

"I see…And how…Sir…Should we go about doing that?"

"You and Kiauna are to take her with you. Be sure to surprise them, don't let them see her right away. Be careful though, she may still be a little rebellious."

"I doubt it will be a problem."

"Then I suggest you go and find her, I have noticed she's been sleeping an awful lot. You might want to keep an eye on that."

"I'll get right on it."

He stood and began to walk out,

"One more thing, Jaku."

"Hm?"

"I don't want you to hold her back at all, let her do as she pleases. I want to see just what she is capable of."

Jaku slowly nodded and stepped through the doorway, into the light beyond.

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Ichigo and the others had finally made it to Los Noches. It didn't take them as long to get there this time, as most of them already knew where it was. They quickly made it up to the high wall that surrounded the entirety of Hueco Mundo. Hisagi was lagging quite a bit behind them. Toushiro looked over his shoulder toward him,

"You alright?"

"…Fine…" He panted, "…Just a little tired…"

Toushiro slowly nodded, "As long as you're sure…" He went back to examining the wall, "How do we get in?"

"Well, I'm sure they already know we're here anyway…" Ichigo commented, shoving his way up to the front of the group. He unsheathed Zangetsu and punched a huge hole into the wall,

"C'mon."

He walked through. Toushiro stood back for a moment, a little shocked that Ichigo had just done that, but decided to just shrug it off and followed the others inside.

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Jaku and Kiauna wandered the halls of Hueco Mundo looking for Yuki. They started down a huge, pure blinding white corridor,

"This is impossible, this place is too damn big!" Kiauna shrieked.

"Maybe not…" Jaku said, putting his hand up to quiet her. A large vein popped up on her head,

"You little…"

"Shhh!"

She stopped, looking a bit shocked that he had continued to try and shut her up,

"Yuki!" Jaku called.

A few seconds later a loud groan echoed around the room,

"Whaaaaaaaat…?"

"Aizen needs you to come with us, we have to greet some visitors."

"Do I really have to do this?"

"You did tell him you'd do whatever he asked…"

After another few seconds she let out a long sigh and jumped down from her napping place high in the rafters,

"Either of you got any food?"

"What do you need food for?" Kiauna demanded.

"What business is it of yours?" She growled back.

"Calm down! Both of you!" Jaku shouted. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a huge cookie, "Here! Eat this!"

She snatched it from his hand and shoved it into her mouth,

"Now, the two of you should stop fighting. We're supposed to be working together." He paused, "That sounded weird didn't it?"

"I refuse to fight alongside her…" Kiauna said, turning her back on the both of them, "She doesn't deserve my respect."

Yuki let out a low growl and suddenly slammed Kiauna into the wall. It cracked all the way up to the ceiling, threatening to give way all together,

"Make no mistake…if you should get into my way…I will kill you."

Kiauna let out a tiny gasp, "R-Right…I…I…"

"Stop!" Jaku's voice boomed, startling them both, "We have business to attend to! This is not the time for your squabbling!"

"Absolutely right…" Tousen's voice chimed in cheerfully. Then he suddenly became very dark and serious, "Stop fighting amongst yourselves and get out there."

Yuki backed off a little and Kiauna's legs buckled beneath her,

"Fine…" She disappeared.

Jaku growled, "Hey! Wait up!" and he followed.

Tousen walked up to Kiauna and knelt down in front of her, "You'll either work with them…Or you are dead weight…Understood?"

She looked down at the floor, a bit embarrassed that she'd let this happen at all, "Yes…"

"Good, then get out of here."

Kiauna struggled to her feet and sonidoed from the room, nearly in tears.

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The group of Shinigami walked around the perimeter of Los Noches, in a, largely failing, attempt to find an entrance,

"This is just stupid…" Ichigo remarked.

"I think you may have spoken too soon." Renji replied, pointing ahead of them. There stood a huge black door. They immediately noticed there was no way for them to open it from the outside,

"Oh what the hell?" Ichigo exclaimed, "It wasn't this damn complicated before!"

"That, my dear Shinigami, is because this isn't the Los Noches you remember." A loud voice taunted from somewhere above them. They looked up to see Kiauna sitting atop the wall, her legs dangling over the edge,

"But I might just consider letting you inside."

"Don't taunt us…" Toushiro growled.

"Now, why would I do something like that?" She laughed, "I have someone you'll all want to meet. I'm sure of it."

"What?" Ichigo questioned.

"Well now…I can't be telling you that, it'll ruin the surprise. But it is someone you'll want to see."

A thought suddenly stuck Hisagi, he gasped, "Yuki-Taichou! What've you monsters done to her?" He demanded.

"Aw…You ruined it. I guess I'll have to show you now…" She disappeared and the door slowly creaked open.

Hisagi pushed his way inside. Laid out in front of him was a vast desert with a cloudless blue sky. It was full of massive ruins of what looked to be the previous Los Noches.

As soon as everyone was inside the door slammed shut and disintegrated, leaving them stranded there. Across from them, standing atop three pillars, were three Arrancar. Kiauna and Jaku stood in front of the third. It only took Toushiro a moment to realize who the third one was,

"Yuki!"

"What?" Ichigo exclaimed, "That can't be…"

"You think _I _don't know?"

"Again you ruin the surprise!" Kiauna shouted, "You guys are no fun…"

"Oh shut up Kiauna!" Jaku exclaimed, "You're whole plan was stupid."

She leaned down, glaring at him, "Why don't you say that to my face?"

He stuck his tongue out at her, "Fine."

Yuki rolled her eyes, "Idiots…"

She jumped down from her pillar, into the sand below, making a huge cloud of dust. When it dispersed she was gone.

Hisagi suddenly felt a hot breath on the back of his neck, he turned to find her directly behind him, almost nose to nose,

"Well hello there…" She hissed.

Before he could even move she dug her claws into his chest and flung him into the sand some distance away.

She turned toward the others, licking Hisagi's blood off of her massive claws, grinning,

"Mmmm…Fukutaichou are tasty." The blood dribbled down her chin, "Who should be next..?"

She looked over the group until her eyes stopped on Renji, "I wonder if all Fukutaichou taste so sweet…" She smirked, "Shall we find out?"

She once again disappeared and reappeared behind Renji, "You smell good…"

She dug her claws into his neck. He let out a bubbly choking scream. She quickly ripped her claws from him and he fell into a heap on the ground, clutching his gushing wound.

She licked her fingers again, "Yummy…"

"Yuki! Stop this!" Toushiro demanded.

"Stop what? Killing is what I do now…" She smirked, "Why? Do you want to be next?"

"You won't be killing for much longer."

She laughed, "Who's going to stop me? You?"

"I don't want to have to hurt you…We came to rescue you."

"All of you? Rescue me? Well…It may just be too late for that. I guess you'll just have to fight me and see, hm?"

They began to unsheathe their weapons. She just stood grinning,

"Are we ready?"

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Kiauna and Jaku continued their argument until he looked toward Yuki's pillar,

"What do you thi—Yuki?"

He and Kiauna both quickly turned to look toward where Yuki now stood, surrounded by Shinigami. Kiauna let out a low growl,

"I refuse to just stand here and let her have all the fun."

"Oh shut up. If you interfered she would kill you without a second thought." Jaku replied.

"Yeah right, she's nowhere near powerful enough to do something like that."

"Don't tell me you're not even a little bit afraid?"

"Not one bit."

"Then you deserve to die."

"What'd you say?"

"You can't be a true warrior without a little bit of fear. Without that you're as good as dead."

"Since when did you get so wise?"

"Didn't anyone tell you? I've always been this way…Although I may not act it sometimes."

"Well…I…" She paused for a moment to think through her next actions a bit, "I don't give a damn what you say. I'm going to get a piece of the action." She sonidoed out of there.

Jaku sat down, his legs dangling over the edge of the pillar,

"This'll certainly be interesting."

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Kiauna reappeared next to Yuki,

"How dare you _hog _all of this fun for yourself?"

Yuki scowled, "Would you Shinigami mind holding on for a moment…I have a little pest to take care of…"

She spun around to face Kiauna,

"Why must you stick your ugly nose into my fight?"

"Ugly?" She drew her hand back, then slapped Yuki across the face, leaving a deep red handprint on her cheek.

Yuki slowly moved her hand up and touched her cheek, her eyes narrowing,

"I've grown very tired of you…"

She reached out and grabbed her by the throat, picking her up about a foot off of the ground,

"I'm honestly surprised no one has done this before…" She tightened her grip.

Kiauna struggled, kicking her legs and clawing at her frantically,

"Your poison wont' do anything to me now. I am done with you…"

She kept tightening her grip until she felt her windpipe collapse beneath her hand. She threw her to the sand and wiped the small amount of blood from her claws off,

"Ick…"

She turned back to the others who just stared, mouths open with shock.

She sighed, "What's wrong with all of you now?"

"How could you do that?" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Huh? Do what?"

"You just killed her without even giving her a chance!"

"Of course, she deserved to die." She paused, "Oh right, you still think I'm that little Taichou." She laughed, "And if I have anything to say about it, you'll never see her…ever…again."

Toushiro grabbed her arm, "You think you can just take over my twin and get away with it?"

"It was Aizen that did it. I am just…The beautiful result." She grabbed his wrist, "Don't you touch me…" She tightened her grip on his wrist, then threw him back into the group,

"Are we doing this, or not?"

They all readied their blades, they had little choice but to defeat her,

"Wait!"

They all stopped,

"Why don't we make a little game out of this?" She put her hands out in front of herself, "The first one back to me gets to fight me first…and so on. Kay?"

"Wait…What're you-" Ichigo started, before he was shot off by an icy, cold wind, separated from the others by the vast desert. The only ones left where Yuki was were Renji and Hisagi, who lay unconscious on the sand.

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Ichigo landed in a dusty heap some distance away. He quickly jumped up and dusted himself off, large chunks of ice fell from his robes. He looked around, not one single other person in sight,

"Great…How the hell far did I get tossed?"

He sighed, "I guess I should go…Someone has to stop her, it might as well be me."

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Yuki sat on the sand, waiting. A huge grin on her face. Jaku made his way, casually, toward her,

"What, may I ask, are you doing?"

"I'm waiting…Obviously."

"But, what was the point of spreading them all out like that?"

"It wouldn't be too wise to fight them all at once, plus, I figured it would be more fun this way. I figured you of all people would understand that."

Jaku's eye twitched a little, "So you're playing a game? At a time like this?"

"Aizen said I could do whatever I wanted, yes?" She stood, "Besides, a little pipsqueak like you can't stop me."

He reached behind his back, pulling his enormous axe around him,

"I'll show you a pipsqueak…" He put his axe up to her throat.

She simply laughed, "You won't hurt me, you can't. And little children shouldn't be playing with such dangerous things anyway."

"You'll soon learn your place!" He shouted, his reiatsu exploding. It nearly knocked Yuki to the ground from the sheer weight of it. His eyes were almost glowing red,

"I will teach you a lesson, draw your blade."

"Certainly…Your majesty…" She taunted, smirking.

His eye twitched again, "Draw it!"

Yuki unsheathed Korihoshi and it immediately changed to its Shikai form. It was pure white, shining brightly in the desert sun,

"Are you sure this is how you want your life to end?" She asked.

"You should be asking yourself that question." He said, swinging the axe over his head, then pointing it back toward her.

She easily parried it with her own blade. White sparks flying through the air as the two blades collided. Jaku pushed her backward, through the sand, making a deep trail where her feet dug in. She ground her heels in as much as possible until she was finally able to stop. He backed off, resting the axe on his shoulder,

"You're pretty strong, for being as small as you are." Yuki remarked.

He smirked, "I'm more than strong…"

She scowled a bit,

"You know, you really don't look good when you're angry." He laughed.

"You think I care what you think?" She swung her blade at his head, missing by just mere inches.

He grabbed ahold of the blade, "Hit a sore spot did I?" He chuckled, "You may think you can beat me, but you'll soon learn…You're too new here to really know about me."

"Don't you lecture me!" She pushed the blade forward with such force that it slipped through his fingers, the very tip managing to puncture his forehead before he could stop it again. His eyes widened.

Yuki laughed, "What's wrong? Hm? Scared?"

He threw her sword down, a thin line of blood trickling down his forehead,

"Hah, no. I could never be scared of someone like you. All Arrancar are the same, you all think you're so damn powerful." He pointed his axe toward her, "Well, I'll show you…"

Yuki cocked her head to the side, "Then I suggest you bring it on."

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	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

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Jaku flew backwards into one of the pillars from the old ruins, it crumbled and collapsed on top of him. Yuki let out a loud and shrill laugh,

"You can't beat me little boy, I'm far too powerful for you!"

Jaku slowly stood, dust and rubble falling from him,

"You actually think you're more powerful than I am?"

"I do think that's what I was implying." She said, her sword resting on her shoulder, her other hand on her hip,

"Prove me wrong, hm?"

Jaku's face twisted with rage,

"You should know…_No one _has _ever _made me this angry."

"Wah, wah. Poor baby." She taunted, rubbing her eye with her free hand as if she were crying.

"You won't be laughing for long." He rushed toward her, axe ready.

Yuki yawned, "I should probably end this…I'm getting bored."

The moment Jaku got within the reach of her blade, she swung. He had the same idea. The second their blades hit their marks a huge cloud of dust was kicked up around them.

When it finally settled the two stood, impaled on each other's blades. Yuki's blade had sliced into Jaku's shoulder, right next to his neck. His was jammed into her side under her arm, wedged between her ribs. They both started at each other, in shock, confused that the other's blade had even landed a hit.

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Ichigo had been running nonstop since he landed. After what seemed life forever he started to see the familiar ruins in the distance,

"Finally!"

He sped up his pace until he got to the outer area of the ruins and was nearly floored by the reiatsu,

"Woah!" He said as he steadied himself.

It was then that he noticed the two Arrancar, standing at a deadlock, just staring at each other. He let out a small gasp

"…Yuki."

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Yuki stood as still as possible to avoid moving the axe. It was only when she noticed a small movement behind Jaku that her concentration broke. She took a slight step forward and her rib snapped like twigs. She slumped over a little.

Jaku took that moment to wrench the blade out of her body. He lifted it up over his head and started to bring it down onto her. She quickly ripped Korihoshi from his body and just managed to block the monstrous axe,

"Naughty, naughty."

She sonidoed behind him,

"It looks like the real battle is about to begin, I'm not going to let you interfere."

She slammed Korihoshi's hilt into the back of Jaku's skull. A small crack sounded and he fell limply into the sand.

She then turned her attention to Ichigo,

"Well well, Kurosaki, it looks like you are the winner. I certainly hope you've prepared yourself.

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	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

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Ichigo stood facing Yuki, Jaku laying face down in the sand between them. Yuki spun Korihoshi around in her hand,

"So, Kurosaki, are you ready for this?"

"I don't really have a choice now, do I?"

"Not really. You fight or…" She quickly sonidoed behind him, "You die."

He managed to move just as she went to impale him, she ended up giving him a deep slice across his left side. He spun around to face her again,

"You don't have to do this! We're your friends!"

"I don't have need for 'Friends' any longer!"

She dashed at him, sword out in front of her. He put his hand out to block it, but she forced him backward into one of the huge pillars. She slammed her hand into his shoulder, pinning him there. She dug her claws into his flesh, her head down,

"I-Ichigo…" She muttered, her voice very shaky.

"Eh? Yuki..?"

She looked at him, her eyes were her usual icy blue. Her face was pained, as if it was taking all of her strength just to hold back the Arrancar,

"I have to…T-tell you something…"

"Huh?"

"To get rid…of the Arrancar…You must swear…you'll do exactly as I say…" She paused to take a breath, "She gets tired…very quickly…When she starts to slow down…you must attack…all out…you can't be afraid to hurt…me…"

"But…you could die."

"That's just a chance you'll have to take!" She winced, "Do you…understand?"

"Yes…but…"

"Just do it…quickly…This is torture…"

"I'll do my best…I promise."

Yuki quickly backed off, her hand on her head,

"RRR! STUPID GIRL! YOU CAN'T PROTECT YOUR FRIENDS!"

She laughed and looked back up at Ichigo, "Too bad that's the last time you'll ever see her."

Ichigo moved away from the pillar, picking up Zangetsu, "You're wrong!"

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Hisagi groggily opened his eyes,

"Ugh…what happened?" He started to sit up and pain ripped through his chest, "Oh…Right…"

He looked around a little bit, almost immediately spotting Yuki and Ichigo. She seemed to be moving faster than Ichigo could even react. She was pummeling him.

Suddenly he heard a loud groan next to him. He looked down to find Renji was coming around as well,

"Abarai-San?"

"Eh…Hisagi…?"

He sat up, "What's happening?"

"Kurosaki's getting his ass kicked…"

"You think we should intervene?" A third voice chimed in.

They looked up to see Toushiro standing next to them,

"Hitsugaya-Taichou…"

"Are you two prepared to fight her?"

They both nodded,

"Good, c'mon then."

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Ichigo knelt in front of Yuki, blood running down his face and gushing from various parts of his body. Yuki slowly walked up to him,

"I hope you're ready to die, Shinigami."

"Stop!"

Yuki looked up to see the other three Shinigami running toward them,

"Your friends have come to try and save you." She smirked, "Why don't I give you a moment to figure out what you're going to do."

They hesitated, not knowing if she meant that or not,

"Well, what're you waiting for? Go!"

Ichigo quickly made his way to the others. They huddled up,

"So what do we do?" Renji asked, a little panicked at the sight of Ichigo,

"I already know what we have to do…" Ichigo remarked. He leaned on Renji and Hisagi, barely able to stand on his own anymore, "We have to hit her…as hard as we can."

"What do you mean?" Toushiro asked, even though, deep down, he already knew.

"I mean…we have to go at her…as if we're going to kill her…"

"But if we do that we actually might!" Toushiro exclaimed.

"I know…but she's tough…We can't be afraid to hurt her…at this moment…She is our enemy."

"How should we go about this then?" Renji asked.

"I was thinking we'd attack her as a group…But first we'd need a decoy…someone to distract her…She told me that the Hollow gets tired very quickly. We just need someone to wear her out…"

"I'll do it." Hisagi said, his voice taking a serious tone.

"But Hisagi, with your injuries…"

"I'm aware Hitsugaya-Taichou. But she's my Taichou…This is my duty."

Toushiro sighed, "Alright, but don't fight her. Just do as much moving around as possible."

"Right…I just hope I can keep it up…"

Yuki let out a long drawn out sigh,

"What's taking so long?"

Hisagi split from the group and walked over to her,

"Ah Hisagi, so it's your turn."

"I suppose it is."

She spun her sword around,

"Then let's begin."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

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Hisagi ground his heels into the ground a little, wondering about the best way to lure her into their trap, 'I guess I have no choice…' He thought.

"You wanna kill me?" He asked.

Yuki licked her lips, "Oh yes…"

"Well then, catch me if you can." He shunpoed.

"What the? Get the hell back here!" She sonidoed after him.

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Yuki chased him for quite some distance before she had to stop. She was breathing heavily,

"Ugh…Damnit…" She looked around a little, "Where the hell did he go?"

Her eye twitched a little, "Fucking great!"

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Hisagi stopped near another area of ruins and looked back,

"Did she give up already?"

He leaned against the chunk of wall behind him and wiped a little sweat from his forehead,

"Maybe she was worn out from her fight with Kurosaki…"

He looked up toward the sky,

"I really hope this plan works…If not…I dunno what we're gonna do."

Suddenly a large shadow blocked the sun from his face. He looked up to see Yuki grinning down at him,

"Found you."

She jumped down in front of him and put her hands on the wall on either side of him, her face just an inch or two from his,

"So…How do you want to die?" She asked in a low, hissing tone, "Slowly…or quickly…?"

Hisagi pushed his way as far back into the wall as he could,

"Well…I…"

She smiled, "You don't really have to answer…"

She pulled her hand back and forced it forward, driving it into his chest, not stopping until it hit the cold stone wall behind him.

He let out a choking gasp, "W-What…"

"How does that feel, Hm?"

Hisagi's blood ran down her arm and dripped onto her Hakama, staining them a morbid shade of red. He didn't answer her. He just kept his eye on her as he slowly moved his left hand out of her sight, Kazeshini gripped tightly there.

She slowly began to remove her arm from his chest, making a sickening sucking sound and pulling Hisagi along with her as she did so. He took that moment to transform Kazeshini into its Shikai form. The words, 'This better work' running rampant through is head.

He waited until she'd just freed her arm from his chest, then struck. Double wrapping Kazeshini's chain around her, binding her arms down. She stumbled backward in a somewhat confused daze,

"What the hell? Release me!" She demanded as she struggled against her bonds,

"I can't do that…"

Suddenly the others surrounded her. Ishida had rejoined them, Orihime kept her distance, watching.

Yuki growled, "I won't let you defeat me!"

Toushiro nodded to Ichigo and they Shunpoed toward her, kicking up a large cloud of dust.

Orihime walked forward a few steps, "Did it work..?"

Hisagi glanced at her, "I don't know…"

The dust seemed to take a very long time to settle. When it finally did Orihime let out a loud shriek. Yuki stood in the same place, but now impaled Toushiro with Korihoshi, through the stomach, holding him up a few feet off of the ground, and held Ichigo up by the throat. Kazeshini lay, torn in two at her feet.

Hisagi fell to his knees, "How…How could it fail?"

Yuki let out a bout of insane laughter,

"You didn't really think your little plan would work now did you?"

She threw the two Shinigami into the sand,

"You'll have to work harder than that to get rid of me."

She looked over her shoulder at Hisagi, "How're you even still awake?"

She made her way over to him, standing as close to him as she possibly could. She reached down and grabbed him by the throat, picking him up nearly off of the ground,

"Maybe you should lie down!"

She threw him across the sand and into the blood stained wall piece, that shattered around him.

"Hisagi-San!" Orihime shouted as she ran to his aid.

Yuki spun around on her heels,

"I certainly hope you have a better plan…Because I do plan to kill you all."

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	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Yuki stood in the center of the circle of Shinigami, compulsively spinning her sword around and around in her hand,

"Boo hoo hoo, poor Shinigami are all defeated." She laughed manically.

Renji took her moment of gloating to kneel down next to Toushiro,

"Are you alright, Hitsugaya-Taichou?"

"I'm fine…I don't think she hit any place too vital…" He held his hand over the deep wound in his stomach,

"Well, if you're up to trying again, I have another plan."

"What is it?"

"What if I used Zabimaru to restrain her instead, in Bankai form."

"That…Might just work." He stood up with a little help from Renji, "She's already pretty tired, her movements have slowed dramatically. You should have little problem catching her. Just do it as quickly as you can…Don't try and fight her too much..."

Renji nodded, "Right." He drew Zabimaru and stepped forward, "Hey! How would you like to go up against my Bankai."

Yuki's eyes lit up, "Would I?"

Renji grinned, "Great."

His reiatsu raised sharply as he held Zabimaru out in front of him,

"Roar Zabimaru! Bankai!"

There was a bright flash of light and there he stood, Zabimaru coiled up around him.

Yuki grinned, "Finally."

"Remember Zabimaru, all you gotta do is catch her."

He swung Zabimaru toward, and then a little past her,

"What're you doing? You missed me!"

Renji gave Zabimaru a bit of a tug and he came back around, slamming into her back. She stumbled forward, falling onto Zabimaru's tail. It immediately wrapped itself tightly around her. She immediately began struggling to free herself. Renji pulled on Zabimaru to keep it right,

"Ugh…She might be too strong…"

She began to push Zabimaru off of herself when six pillars of light surrounded her, punched through Zabimaru, and into Yuki's body, completely binding her. Renji looked back to see Toushiro standing there, looking a little bit weaker from having used that Kidou,

"That should do it…" He remarked.

He turned and looked at Ichigo,

"Shall we?" He asked

"No better time." Ichigo replied.

They both raised their reiatsu and released their Bankai's,

"Let me go! How dare you do this to me?" She shrieked, "You can't kill me!"

Toushiro and Ichigo glanced back at Ishida who had his bow ready,

"Let's go."

Ichigo and Toushiro charged Yuki from opposite directions, Toushiro from the front and Ichigo the back. Ishida pulled back on a huge arrow. When Ichigo and Toushiro had nearly made it to their destination he released it.

When they hit their target there was a bright flash of light. Everyone around them watched and waited. Zabimaru fell onto the ground.

Orihime gasped as the bright light faded. There Ichigo and Toushiro stood, Yuki sandwiched between them, impaled by both blades. Ichigo's went through her lower right abdomen, Toushiro's through her chest on the right side. Blood ran down both blades and into the white sand below. Her body trembled as she sunk to her knees, causing the blades to cut further into her body.

She took in some deep, painful breaths. She reached up and rested her hand on top of Zangetsu, pushing on it a little bit. Ichigo gently put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her forward, at the same time, wrenching the sword out with quite a bit of force. She let out a loud cough, along with a mouthful of blood. She fell forward against Toushiro,

"Shi-ro…"

He looked down at her,

"Hyo..rin…maru…"

"Right…"

He pushed her back a little and pulled the sword out. Blood poured out. She placed her hand over the wound,

"Ugh…"

Her hand was only able to rest there for a moment before she had to move it to balance herself. She looked up at the two of them,

"Th…Thank you…"

She coughed again, it was so painful it caused her to hunch over. Ichigo carefully put his hand on her back,

"We need to get her out of here right away."

"I'm afraid you're not taking her anywhere." A voice grumbled from behind her.

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Please Review ^^


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

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Yuki looked back over her shoulder. Jaku stood there, hunched over, dragging his axe behind him. Leaving a deep trail in the sand,

"You should've killed me…when you had the chance…"

She put her hand on Ichigo's shoulder and pulled herself to her feet,

"Yuki…You can't-"

She put her hand up to quiet him,

"Not now…Kurosaki."

She picked Korihoshi back up, it had changed back to its usual silver color. The only thing about her that had returned to normal was her eye color, other than that she still looked like the Arrancar,

"You're right. It looks like I'll have to finish you now instead."

She spun Korihoshi around in her hand.

Jaku smirked, "I won't be letting that happen. You either defeat them for Aizen-Sama, or you die."

"Let's just see if you can back up those big words."

Jaku lifted his axe above his head, using the sheer weight of it to gain momentum,

"Come on!"

He lowered it, swinging it toward her head. She raised up her arm and stopped it completely. He pushed on it as hard as he could, but it wouldn't budge. Only a small bruise started to form there from holding it back with her wrist,

"Wha? Why?"

"You don't know the meaning of power…True power comes from fighting for those you care about and protecting them…Not from forcing someone into it…"

She swung her arm down, slamming the axe into the ground, completely knocking it out of his hands,

"I won't allow them to be hurt any further…"

She walked toward him, stumbling a bit. He started to back up,

"You…Can't do this…" He looked at her with puppy dog eyes, "I'm just a kid…"

She picked the axe up, examined it a moment, then handed it back to him.

He took it, "Why're you…?"

"She's trying to be honorable, yes?" A third person said.

They both looked up to see Aizen standing there behind Jaku,

"A-Aizen-Sama…I swear! I was just about to finish her off! I-"

"Don't lie to me…Get out of here…I'll deal with you later."

Jaku lowered his eyes and disappeared.

Aizen turned his attention back to Yuki,

"I see, somehow, you've broken through." He began to slowly walk toward her.

"Did you actually think I wouldn't?"

"I had hoped…It's really too bad…I didn't want to have to kill you…"

"You can't…"

"And why might that be? You've failed me. There is no longer any need for you to be alive."

Yuki stumbled forward a few steps,

"Then I'll just have to kill you first."

She lifted her sword and sped toward him. A few seconds later she was frozen in her tracks as Aizen's sword flashed in front of her face. Searing pain suddenly filled her chest. He looked down to see Aizen's blade sticking fully through her, the hilt touching her skin.

"Yuki! No!" Toushiro shouted, his voice pained. He tried to run toward her, but Ichigo held him back.

She slowly looked up to see Aizen grinning down at her. She rested her hand on top of his, trying to push it back,

"I'll take it out if you honor one last request to me."

"What…" She whispered, blood beginning to stream from her mouth as she opened it,

"Bow to me."

"Never." She pushed back on his hand, drawing the sword back a few inches.

His face quickly changed from a grin to a somber frown,

"You are in no position to continue to fight me."

He pushed down on the sword, forcing it into her ribs. She resisted it for a moment, but soon the force and pain from her previously broken ribs became too much, and she was pushed down to her knees,

"You see…That wasn't so hard…"

He tore the sword from her. Blood flew into the air and dripped down onto the sand. He knelt down in front of her and put his hand firmly on her chin, forcing her to look at him. He took a moment to take in the pain and terror in her eyes before he spoke again,

"I'm going to spare your friends for now…Someone will need to take your body back to SeiReiTei," He laughed, "And if, for some reason, you should survive…The healing techniques of the 4th division and of Orihime Inoue will fail to help you…" He raised his sword again, "Good bye."

He slammed the blade into the right side of her face, causing her mask to shatter and her cheek bone to break. He looked up at the others and smirked, then disappeared.

Yuki collapsed onto her side, kicking up a small cloud of dust. She blinked a few times in an attempt to regain some form of focus. The world around her was a dull shade of gray. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. She could hear some kind of voices, but they all seemed very far away.

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Ichigo and the others stood in shock. They couldn't believe what had just happened. Ichigo slowly lowered his arm and let Toushiro go. He bolted to Yuki and slid down into the sand next to her. She slowly moved her eyes to look at him. He carefully placed his hand on her shoulder. He could feel her trembling with every excruciating breath.

After a moment the others had come out of their shock and made their way over to her, crowding around her. Renji carried a still unconscious Hisagi on his back. Orihime trailing behind, worried about moving him.

Ichigo dropped to his knees, exhausted, but still wanting to try and help,

"We should probably…roll her over onto her back…" He said, his voice very distant and quiet.

Toushiro nodded. The two of them, very carefully, rolled her over onto her back. She managed to force out a tiny squeal of pain. Ichigo rested her head on his leg and looked down at her,

"You should try to relax…We'll get you out of here soon…"

She slowly lifted her arm and touched the large, bleeding wound that made its home on his forehead. She quickly ran her eyes over the rest of him to find that he'd been injured quite severely,

"I…did this…"

She gazed around at the others, taking note of all of their injuries as well, until her eyes stopped on Hisagi,

"Shuuhei!" She tried to sit up, but Ichigo clamped his hand down on her shoulder so she couldn't move,

"Now isn't the time for you to be concerned about us."

"But you're…my friends…" She winced.

"Kurosaki!" Ishida called from a short distance away.

"What is it, Ishida?"

"I just spoke with Urahara. He said he would open a new portal here at our location. It should only take a few minutes."

He sighed, "Good."

He looked back down at Yuki and smiled, "You hear that? We'll be outta here soon."

She very subtly nodded, her eyes beginning to get very droopy. Toushiro squeezed her hand,

"You gotta stay awake…"

"I…" She started, "Don't think…I can do that…"

"Of course you can! You have to!" He began to panic a bit.

She smiled very slightly, "I'll be…okay…I promise…you…"

Tears started to well up in his eyes a little, "You'd better…"

She took one last gasping breath and closed her eyes. The others just watched her for a few minutes until Ishida caught their attention,

"C'mon. We can't waste time right now. The portal won't wait for us."

They all made their way toward the newly opened portal. Toushiro stood up and helped Ichigo stand without causing Yuki any more pain. Ichigo picked Yuki up , and the two of them followed the others into the portal.

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That's chapter 11! I do hope your diggin' it so far, I'm certainly enjoying writing it ^-^

Don't forget to review!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

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The group slowly, and carefully made their way back to the Human world. Ichigo lagged behind everyone else. Toushiro slowed down a bit to walk with him,

"You alright, Kurosaki?"

"I'm fine…I have to be…Until we can get back."

"We can take a short rest…"

"No time."

He sped up his pace, and Toushiro followed.

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Urahara waited on the other side of the portal along with Isshin Kurosaki, Ururu, Ginta, and Tessai,

"Alright everyone, they should be here shortly," Urahara started, he turned to face the group, "I've been informed that there are several extensive injuries. We should be prepared to take care of the worst of them right away. Kurosaki-San, that's where you come in."

"I guess it's a good thing I got all that new equipment."

Urahara nodded, "Indeed," He looked at the others, "The rest of you are to take care of the less injured here. Inoue Orihime, who luckily is returning uninjured, had volunteered to help us out."

Suddenly the portal began to glow brightly. Urahara spun around,

"My, that was even faster than I'd expected."

One by one they exited the portal, the waiting group checking each of them for injuries. Ichigo was the last to exit. He fell to his knees the second the'd emerged, completely exhausted. Isshin knelt down next to him,

"Ichigo…"

He looked up, "Please take care of Yuki…"

Isshin looked down at the Shinigami he held tightly in his arms, he noticed she hadn't changed back to normal yet, she was still tall and her hair still jet black.

Isshin gave her a quick examination,

"We should get her back to the clinic immediately." He said as he carefully picked her up out of Ichigo's arms,

"Ishida-San?" Issin asked.

"Yes?" Uryuu replied.

"You're uninjured, yes?"

"I am."

"Would you mind helping me get the worst of them to my clinic?"

"Oh…Um…Yes."

"Good."

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Yuki, Hisagi and Ichigo were rushed to the Kurosaki Clinic. The second they were inside they were greeted by Yuzu,

"Daddy…You have some visitors in your office…"

"Visitors?"

2 figures then walked out of the office and down the hall toward them. Isshin's eyes widented,

"Retsu-San?"

Unohana and Isane walked up to them,

"Hello, Kurosaki-San. It's been a long time."

He nodded,

"We were sent here to help out, we also brought a couple of others along."

2 Other shinigami walked out as well,

"Murakami-San and Hanatarou-San. Please feel free to use us as you need to."

Isshin sighed, "Alright, why don't you help with Hisagi-San and Ichigo. I'll take care of Yuki myself. Yuzu?"

"Yes, daddy?"

"You can go ahead and go back to the house, alright?"

She nodded, "Alright."

They all spread out to various areas of the clinic. Isshin went to the nearest room. He laid Yuki down on the bed and carefully examined her wounds. She let out a small groan,

"Hm…You're in quite a bit of pain I'm sure."

He walked across the room to a long counter and dug around in one of the many drawers. After a few minutes he finally found what he was looking for. He turned back around with a needle full of clear liquid. He walked back to her side and quickly injected her with it.

He turned back to put it down, only to find Unohana standing there,

"Do you need any help?"

"I think I may…How're the others?"

"Stable enough for the time being." She walked to Yuki's bedside, "Oh my…"

"What is it?"

"These sword wounds…Three different blades." She bent down to take a closer look, "Also, her skin…"

Isshin walked up next to her, "Eh?"

"There are tiny little Ice crystals covering her skin…"

Isshin lifted her arm into the light. It looked like it was covered in a coat of light frost,

"What is this..?"

"I have personally only ever heard of it, never actually seen it," She paused and ran her hand lightly over Yuki's arm, "It's her Zanpakuto."

"What?"

"When a Shinigami's body is damaged badly enough, if they have a strong enough bond with their Zanpakuto, it will try to heal them," She sighed, "Although I can imagine by then it might already be too late…"

"Well, we can't just give up."

Unohana leaned down to get a closer look,

"Judging by what I can see here, she's going to require rather extensive surgery…Do you have the proper equipment here for something like that?"

"You can't just heal her?"

"No…I can feel that something here is blocking me out…"

"Hm…Well, I should have most of what we need, we'll have to do our best with what I have."

"Alright, good, then let's get started."

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Shinta stood outside of Yuki's door, waiting for his Taichou to emerge. It had been 4 hours and he was starting to get a bit worried. He let out a long, drawn out, sigh as the door opened. Unohana looked completely exhasuted, she'd hardly noticed Shinta there at all,

"How are the others…?" She asked quietly.

"They're doing alright for the time being…Are you okay Retsu-Nee?"

She smiled sweetly, "I'll be fine. It's just been a very long time since I couldn't use my healing power. It's tiring to work for so long."

"Hisagi woke up while you were working…He want's to know about Yuki…"

She nodded, "Very well, I'll go talk with him…You take a break."

"Oh..um..Okay…" He walked back down the hall.

Unohana turned back to the open door,

"Will you be okay for a little bit, Kurosaki-San?"

"Yeah. Go ahead and do whatever you need to."

She slowly closed the door and made her way to Hisagi's room.

[][][]

Unohana let herself, quietly, into Hisagi's room. It was fairly dark iside, only daylight came in through the thin curtains,

"Hisagi-San?" She said, her voice very calming.

"Uno..hana…" He whispered.

She sat down next to his bed, "How are you feeling?"

"How..d…do you think?"

She sighed, "I thought as much…I heard you wanted to hear about Yuki-Taichou's condidtion…"

"Is she..?"

"She's…alive…To be truthful that's the best we can ask for at the moment." A little disappointment welled up in her voice as she spoke, "I'm sorry I don't have better news for you…"

"You're doing what you can…Thank…you…"

She stood up, "I'll leave you to rest now. I'll be sure to let you know if there are any changes."

"Mmm…" Was all he could manage to say.

She walked back out into the dim hallway, closing the door behind her,

"What a disaster…"

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Once Unohana and Isshin decided Yuki was alright, they decided to take shofts to take care of everyone, and periodically check on Yuki. Isshin took the first shift, Unohana needed rest. He sat in Ichigo's room with Yuzu and Karin,

"Is he gonna be okay, daddy?" Yuzu asked.

Isshin smiled, "He'll be alright…He's tough."

Karin sat on the other side of Ichigo's bed, just watching him, saying nothing.

Suddenly the door burst open and Hanatarou fell inside. He quickly stood up and dusted himself off,

"Sorry to interrupt Korosaki-san, but you wanted to know when anything happened with Yuki-Taichou…"

He stood up, "I'll be back, girls."

He followed Hanatarou into the hallway,

"What's going on?"

"Well…She's awake…but…Well, you'll just have to come and see."

They walked down to Yuki's room and Isshin went inside. Yuki was sitting up in her bed, eyes wide, terrified. She jumped at the sound of the door closing,

"Yuki?" Isshin carefully asked.

"Wh-" She backed herself up into the corner, "Who are you? Where am I?"

"Calm down…Your injuries…"

"Don't tell me what to do…" She growled.

Isshin walked over to her bed, and held out his hand,

"C'mon, lay back down."

She hesitated a moment, then cautiously took his hand and he helped her to lay back down. He took a second to look into her eyes with a bright light, then sat down on the edge of her bed,

"So…do you know who I am?"

She studied his face a bit, "Should…I?"

He sighed, "Is there anything at all that you do remember?"

"Um…Come to think of it…No…"

She looked down at her self, her arms and torso were completely bandaged up,

"What…what happened to me?"

"I think that might be a little much for you to handle right now."

She sat up again, "Tell me!"

He pushed her back down again, "You'll reopen your wounds if you don't lie still." His hand brushed over her arm, "Eh?" He looked up at her, "Are you feeling alright?"

"What the hell do you think?"

"That's…not what I ment." He put his hand on her forehead, "You're burning up…"

She pushed his hand away, "So what?"

"So it's pretty damn serious…" He remarked, starting to get a little irritated with her. He stood up,

"Hanatarou!" He called, running some cold water into a metal basin.

Hanatarou scrambled into the room, "Y-yes sir, Kurosaki-san.."

"She has a pretty high fever," He plopped a towel into the water, "I need you to take care of it."

He took the basin from the sink and sat it on the table next to her bed,

"New towel every ten minutes until her fever breaks, if it hasn't broken in two hours, come find me." He turned back and looked at Yuki, "And you be nice."

She just crossed her arms and scowled,

"Good. I have to go let Hisagi know what's going on."

He walked out.

[][][]

Hisagi was sitting up in bed, sipping on some water. He looked a slight bit better than he had before. He looked up as Isshin entered the room. He had a stern look on his face. Hisagi's smile fell to a frown,

"What?" He pushed himself up onto his elbows, "What happened?"

"It appears…she's lost her memory…"

"But…it's just…temporary…right?"

"I don't know for sure, only time will tell for sure." He sighed.

Hisagi took another sip of water, "That isn't all is it?"

"She's also got a high fever, I've got Hanatrou keeping an eye on it for now."

Hisagi fell back down against his pillow, "What does this mean?"

"It means Aizen is a lot more cruel than we originally thought. I'm doing everything I can, but it looks like things might be a little more difficult for awhile."

Hisagi was silent for a moment before he spoke again, "Maybe I can go and see her? Maybe that'll help."

"It's worth a try I guess, but we can't push her too much…"

Hisagi nodded.

[][][]

Yuki lay flat on her back with the cold, wet, towel on her forehead. She dug her hands into the mattress, trying to lessen the pain she was in from her injuries. A light sweat had befun to run down her face. She had her eyes closed tightly in an effort to try and relax a bit.

She jumped a little when the door opened, and her eyes popped open. Isshin walked over to her bed, "I brought a visitor for you."

"A-alright…" She said, her breathing a little labored.

Isshin stepped back and Hisagi hobbled forward, he smiled down at her as best he could,

"Hey…"

She looked up at him, her eyes taking in his face,

"You…" She sat herself up, "I know you…" She put her hand on her now moist forehead, "But…how…?" She wrenched her eyes shut, "Why can't I remember?" She dug her hand into her head.

Hisagi put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "It's alright…You have to calm down…you're going to hurt yourself."  
She took a deep breath, "Too late…"

She looked back up at him, blood running out of her mouth. He looked down to see several large blood patches soaking through her bandages,

"I…" She started, as she began to feel a bit woozy.

Hisagi frantically looked back at Isshin who stepped forward again,

"Shit…" He helped her to lay back down, "Hisagi, do you think you can make it back to your room on your own?"

"I think so…"

"Good. This needs to be dealt with right away."

Hisagi made his way back out into the hallway, where he sat down against the wall, his face in his hands,

"Taichou…"


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

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After a couple of days things had calmed down a bit. They hadn't tried to do anything about Yuki's memory since Hisagi, out of fear that the strain could hurt her. She'd been all alone in her room since then. She refused to speak to anyone, and turned away all of those who tried.

Matsumoto sat in Isshin's office, tapping her fingers on the chair, waiting for him to come in. It only took a few minutes before he stepped in and sat down across from her,

"Sorry abou that. I had to check up on something…Anyway, what brings you here?"

"Well…Have you noticed any change in Yuki-Taichou?"

He shook his head, "I'm afraid not…"

She let out a long sigh, "I've been very concerned about Hitsugaya-Taichou…He hasn't been eating or sleeping…I'm afraid it's because of Yuki-Taichou."

Isshin leaned back in his chair,

"Why don't you have him come and see her? I don't know how it will go, but we can try…"

"A-alright…I'll go and get him…" She stood, "Thank you, Kurosaki-San."

She turned and left the office.

Isshin sighed, "I hope this goes well…"

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A short time later Matsumoto returned, Toushrio lagging along behind her. He was very pale and had huge dark circles under his eyes. Isshin greeted them, noting how awful he looked,

"Would you like to go and see her?"

He glanced up at him, "Are you sure it's okay…I mean, isn't this a little dangerous…?"

"It could be, but in this case, I think it'll be alright."

He slowly nodded and made his way into Yuki's room, closing the door behind him.

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Yuki lay on her bed, her back turned toward the door. She let out a low sigh. Toushiro stopped about halfway across the room.

Yuki looked over her shoulder at him. After a moment she rolled over, staring intently at him, her eyes narrowed,

"Who…"

He slowly made his way toward her,

"I know you…"

He sat down next to her on the bed,

"Yes…" He put his head down.

She leaned down a little and looked him in the face,

"Why're you so sad?"

"It's a long story…"  
She sat back up again, wincing, "Ugh.."

He looked up at her, "What's wrong?"

"It's my fault…isn't it?" She put her hand on her head, "It's all my fault…" She squeezed her eyes closed,

"Shiro…nii…?"

He put his hands on her shoulders, she leaned against him so hard he nearly fell over the edge of the bed,

"What…did I do…?" She asked, her voice shakey, both hands now gripping her skull, "I hurt…everyone…"

Her whole body trembled. Toushiro watched her, not sure what to do.

She suddenl sat straight up, her eyes locking with his, "I hurt you too…"

He smiled a little, "I'm fine…" He claimed as a small wince crawled over his face.

"No…you're not…" Her eyes widened, "Hisagi…He's…"

Toushiro looked down again, "He's alive…" He paused, "For the time being anyway…"

She curled up into a little ball,

"You can go now…"

"But Yuki…"

"Please…"

He put his hand on her shoulder for a second, then made his way out of the room and back into the hall where the others waited,

"Well?" Isshin asked.

Toushiro looked up, a bit of sadness across his face, "She remembered everything…all at once…"

"Is she okay?"

"I think she will be…We should just leave her alone for a little while though…"

Isshin nodded, "Alright…"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

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Yuki awoke later that night, she had fallen asleep shortly after Toushiro had left, all curled up in a tight little ball. She slowly uncurled herself and rolled over, sitting up on the edge of her bed. The first thing she noticed was that her toes were grazing the floor,

"Eh..?"

She slowly stood and walked over to a mirror that was sitting on the counter. She picked it up and looked at herself. She was several inches taller than before, just enough to be noticeable. She was also very thin and her fingers were longer, she wasn't quite sure how this had happened, but she decided it wasn't worth thinking about. The second thing she noticed was that she was wearing a pair of long baggy pajama pants and a t-shirt that was way too big for her. She figured they belonged to Ichigo.

She put the mirror back down on the counter and made her way over to the door,  
"I think I'm gonna get some fresh air…"

She pulled the door open and peeked out into the hall, it was pitch black, not a soul in sight. She snuck out into the hall and started making her way toward the door,

"Ahem…"

She froze in her tracks,

"K-Kurosaki…Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I could say the same about you…"

She sighed, "I'm only going out for some air…"

After a moment of silence Ichigo spoke up again,

"Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all…"

[][][]

They made their way outside into the cool night air. Yuki sat down against the wall on one side of the door, while Ichigo stood on the other side,

"So…" Ichigo started, "…How much of what happened to you remember?" He asked, not even sure if he wanted to know the answer,

"Everything…" She said, looking up at him, "It was like I knew what was happening…but I couldn't do anything about it." She paused and looked back down at the ground, "Or maybe…It was more like I didn't want to control it…"

Ichigo was a little shocked by this, "What?"

"We all have something within us that makes us have the urge to kill…We resist it for the most part…But when Aizen gave me all that power, it was as if that urge overwhelmed me, it felt…Good…I couldn't overcome it…But I didn't even try…I let myself do those horrible things…"

Ichigo just stood silent, he knew what she ment, he'd felt that way when his hollow took over. But he'd never let himself hurt his friends. Yuki got back to her feet,

"I'm sorry if this is a shock for you…I never ment to hurt any of you…But I guess somehow I got the idea into my hed and went along with it."

She began to walk back inside, but after a couple of steps her legs collapsed beneath her,

"Shit…" She muttered.

Ichigo hesitated for just a moment, then knelt down next to her,

"Let's get you back to bed…"

She looked back up at him,

"Um..Yeah…"

He carefully scooped her up, quickly taking note of the pool of blood that had formed on the floor where she fell. He carried her swiftly back to her room, laying her back down. She immediately curled up into another tight little ball. Ichigo turned to leave,

"Wait, Kurosaki." She whipsered.

He turned back around,

"D- don't tell anyone what I told you…"  
He sighed, "Alright…"

He turned around and went back toward the door when it suddenly burst open, suprising him so much he fell backward onto the floor. Urahara stood there in the doorway, terribly serious,

"I thought you might need my help."

He walked into the room, past Ichigo, Ururu and Ginta following along carrying large crates. He put a gentle hand on Yuki's shoulder and she immediately felt a little relief. She glanced over her shoulder at him and he gave her a comforting smile,

"Hey, I'm gonna try and make you feel better."

"Wh-How?"

"Oh, I've got my ways." He held his hand out and Ginta handed him something, "First things first…" She felt a small pinch, "You need to relax."

She was suddenly overwhelmed by a calm and warm sensation, she let out a sigh and her whole body instantly relaxed,

"Better already, hm?"

All she managed to say was an airy, "Uh…Huh…"

Urahara looked over his shoulder at Ichigo,

"I suggest you go. It's probably not the best idea for you to stick around."

Ichigo scrambled to his feet, hesitated for a few seconds, then exited the room. Urahara turned back to Ururu and Ginta,

"Let's get to work."

The two nodded.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

[][][]

Yuki lay in her pitch black room, tossing and turning trying to get some sleep, but sleep wouldn't come. A distant roar of thunder rumbled outside, and a brief flash of lightning filled the room. A shadow was cast upon the wall for a mere few seconds, but it was an unmistakeable form, a huge axe. Yuki sat up,

"Wh-Why are you here?" She squeeked out.

"I just came to give you a message…Aizen-Sama is coming for you…"

"What?"

"You just remember that.."

A loud, ear piercing laughter filled the room.

[][][]

Yuki bolted awake, covered in a cold sweat. She sat up slowly, taking a few seconds to take in her surroundings. Then she noticed something strange, she felt no pain at all. Then she noticed a clear, sticky substance on her arm,

"Wha…?"

Just then Hanatarou walked into the room. She just glanced at him, a completely baffeled look on her face.

[][][]

Urahara, Isshin and Unohana all sat in Isshin's office. Urahara stood in front of the window,

"I've done all I can…But she has to stay in bed and rest or it was all for nothing…I also found out some interesting information." He paused, "The hollow, it didn't go away…It seems to have…Fused…If you would…With her. The only thing I can say for sure is that it seems to have made her a little taller, any other effects remain to be seen."

The other two just simply sat there in shock,

"Yeah, it's pretty strange." He said as he began pacing the room, "Although it explains the height difference. From what I understand, her arrancar was quite tall…"

Isshin sighed, "What're we going to do?"

"I don't think there is much we can do," Unohana commented, "Although perhaps we should tell her."

Urahara nodded in a greement.

[][][]

Yuki sat in her bed, leaning against several pillows. She just stared blankly at the wall across from her. Hanatarou had tried to explian what was going on, but only managed to confuse her more.

A sudden knock on the door broke her concentration and she glanced toward it,

"Come in?"

Urahara and Isshin made their way inside, she turned back to looking at the wall,

"What?"

"We've got some things to discuss with you."

She sighed, becoming exasperated with all the things that were happening,

"Alright…tell me…" She lifted up her arm, "Starting with this gooey stuff…"

"That's what I would call a Soul Patch." Urahara said proudly, "It's ment to focus your reiatsu on your wounds to help them heal. But you absolutely must rest…it takes so much reiatsu that you'd probably pass out just walking across the room here. Any more than that would possibly kill you."

She looked won, "I see…"

"Also…" Isshin added.

She looked up just enough that she could see him,

"When Urahara was patching up your wounds, he discovered something else.."

"And that would be?" She asked in a low tone.

"W-well…It seems that when they all attacked you in an effort to kill the hollow, it actually fused with you…"

"Then it's like it was before?"

"No, no." Urahara chimed in, "Instead of you being two separate things now…You're one."

"That's why you're taller, and your Reiatsu is slightly different…" Isshin said.

"Well, what does this mean then, what's going to happen to me?"

"We can't say for sure yet, but there does seem to be a chance that you could revert back to your Arrancar state of mind…Although since it hasn't happened yet, I'd say it's pretty unlikely." Urahara tried to reassure her.

She laid back down and turned her back toward them,

"You can go now…"

"But…"

"GO!"

They stood up and retreated from the room, leaving Yuki to her thoughts.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

[][][]

Yuki had, once again, shut herself up in her room. She wouldn't speak to anyone and hadn't eaten anything in two days. She sat at the edge of her bed, looking out the window. She let out a low, sad sigh. She didn't even turn around when she heard the door open behind her, and heard footsteps shuffling across the room toward her. She didn't even speak until the bed sunk down behind her,

"…Shuuhei…" She muttered.

She hadn't actually seen him since she'd regained her memories,

"Taichou…are you okay? Everyone's been worried about you…"

"I'm fine…"

"Are you sure?"

she remained silent for a moment, then looked over her shoulder at him,

"How are you…?"

He smiled, "I'm fine."

She shook her head, "Don't lie to me…"

"Alright…It hurts like hell…but it's getting better." He paused for a moment, even just sitting there talking to her took a lot out of him, "You're the one everyone is concerned about…Your wounds aren't healing."

She looked down at the floor, "There's only one solution I can think of…"

Hisagi's eyes widened, "No…Okay? We'll find a solution to this…You can't give up…"

She turned around to face him, a little bit of a smile on her face,

"Okay Shuuhei…For you…"

[][][]

A few hours later it was completely dark. Everyone had gone to their separate corners. Isshin, Karin and Yuzu were spending their time in Ichigo's room, Unohana was holding a meeting with her people and Urahara, and Hisagi was asleep. Yuki lay awake in her bed, the pain from her injuries only seeming to get worse with every breath she took,

"I can't do this anymore…I gotta get outta here…"

She threw the covers off of herself and rolled over to the edge of her bed, sliding down onto the floor. She staggered across the room and opened the door.

No one was in sight, so she left the room and made her way down the hall. She paused for a moment, looking back over her shoulder,

"I'm sorry, Shuuhei…"

She pushed the front door open and disappeared into the night.

[][][]

Hisagi awoke suddenly, a horrible feeling erupting through him. He carefully rolled out of bed and limped out into the pitch black hallway. He slowly made his way down to Yuki's room, opening the door, only to find it completely empty,

"Yuki-Taichou…No…"

He made his way back to Ichigo's room as fast as he could muster and knocked on the door,

"Kurosaki-San?"

Isshin opened the door and stepped out, "What is it?"

"It's Yuki-Taichou…She…She's gone…"

Isshin hesitated for a moment until the words sunk in completely, then ran down the hall. He returned after a moment,

"Where would she have gone? Especially after she was warned about her Reiatsu…"

Hisagi glanced at him nervously, "I think I may know…where she went…"

He'd begun to breathe a little heavier due to the exertion and panic. Isshin put his hand on his shoulder,

"Just calm down, okay?"

He sat down on the floor, Isshin kneeling down next to him,

"Where do you think she went?"

[][][]

Yuki walked down the street a little bit, but only made it a couple of blocks before she collapsed on a bench just outside of the park,

"My my, what're you doing all the way out here in your condition?" A voice echoed around her.  
She lifted her head a little, although she was just barely able to do that,

"I came to find you…"

"Me? What ever for?"

"You're the only one…who can fix these wounds…"

He laughed and appeared behind her ,

"What's in it for me?"

"What do you want…?" She whispered, getting weaker every second,

"I'll think of something." He walked around and sat at her feet, "I'm glad you came to me…" He smirked, "Shall we go?"

She nodded, "Yes…Aizen…"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

[][][]

Everyone was in an uproar at the clinic. They were trying to figure out a solution to the situation, but none of them could think of anything that might actually work.

Hisagi sat in the doorway of Isshin's office while they discussed their options. After a few minutes of listening, however, he had pretty much zoned out . He sat silent there until the sound of the front door opening caught his attention.

He glanced down the hall to see a red haired girl walk inside. She had shoulder length hair that sat just above her striking blue eyes. She wore altered Shinigami robes, a black and white tank top with the normal Hakama. She wore very long blue arm warmers that started just under her shoulders, and went all the way down to her hands, being held in place there by her middle finger,

"Hello?" She called, "Anyone here?"

Hisagi got to his feet as quickly as he could,

"Ayako-San?"

She turned, "Hisagi-San!" She skipped up to him.

He blinked down at her, "What're you doing here?"

"Everyone wanted to know what was going on, we haven't heard anything for awhile."

"Oh…" He said quietly.

Urahara walked up behind Hisagi,

"Well, what do we have here?"

"Urahara-San, this is Ayako Kiyomi. She's a member of the 9th division…She came to see how things are going."

"Ah, I see…Well why don't you join us in here then. We'll do our bes to fill you in."

He lead her into the office and she sat down, crossing her arms,

"Alright, out with it, what's going on?"

"Well," Urahara started, "Let's start off by finding out what you already know."

"I know what happened with Aizen…The last I'd heard Yuki-Taichou had lost her memory…That's when the communications stopped."

"Ah, well…" Urahara filled her in on every detail of what had happened, "…And now it appears, she's gone back to Aizen…"

"She what? How could you let this happen!"

"You know how Yuki-Taichou is…If she doesn't want anyone to know what's going one…No one will know."

She slammed her hands down on Isshin's desk,

"We have to get her back!"

Hisagi put his hand on her shoulder, "You should go back to SeiReiTei…It's dangerous here."

"I can't go back now! I'm going to stay and help." She stood up, "Now what's the plan?"

[][][]

Yuki groggily opened her eyes. The only thing she could tell was that she was in a mostly pitch black room with a lamp over her head. Her body felt heavy, she could barely move,

"Welcome back, Yuki."

She made an attempt to say somehting, but no sound came out,

"Ah, you're feeling the effects of my treatment…That mixed with the Reiatsu loss, it'll be awhile before it wears off." He sat down under the light, "I found out something interesting while I was treating you. About you and your hollow…"

Her eyes widened,

"Ah, but you already knew that didn't you?" He leaned forward, "So I've decided what your payment will be…I'm going to see how long it takes for you and your Hollow to completely fit together. You're not quite there yet." He laughed, "Is that some fear I see? Good…" He stood up, "I'll see you soon, Yuki."

He turned and left, slamming the room door behind him.

[][][]

Several hours later the group back at the clinic had come up with their plan. They saw little other option but to simply storm Los Noches once more. After a lot of discussion, and a lot of protest, it was decided that Ichigo, Renji, and Ishida would go back, taking Kiyomi with them in Hisagi's place.

Hisagi walked slowly up behind Kiyomi,

"Ayako-San…Be careful…"

She turned and gave him a cheery smile, "Don't worry about me Hisagi-San! And don't worry about Yuki-Taichou either, we'll get her back for sure!" She gave him a little wink.

He smiled a little.

"Okay!" Urahara shouted, "You should all get going now!" He lowered his voice, "Kurosaki-San and I have a very important and unpleasant meeting to attend."

"Yes sir!" They all replied.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

[][][]

Yuki awoke again some time later to a loud bang. The room was still dark except that one lamp above her head. She sat up a little and looked around for a moment until she suddenly realized she felt no pain at all, and her exhaustion wsa gone. She looked down at herself. She was still pretty bandaged up, but she didn't notice any wounds,

"Feeling better?" Aizen's voice said, suddenly cutting through the darkness.

"Uh…Yes…Almost completely…"

He stepped into the lamp light, "Fantastic…Now we can start with my repayment, yes?"

She hesitated a moment, but knew she was in no position to refuse,

"Good, follow me then."

He began to walk away. She jumped from the bed and cautiously followed him.

[][][]

He led her to a second room, this one was extremely bright, it took her a moment to adjust her vision. The room was full of all kinds of equipment. Across from all of that was a separate area, completely devoid of anything except two wooden swords that leaned against the wall. It looked almost as if the room was used for some kind of weird research,

"Would you do me the honor of sparring with me?"

She looked up at him, "What? There's no way…"

"That's all I want you to do for me…Nothing more…"

She thought about it for a moment, "Is that…really all?"

"Of course, you came to me. I haven't any reason to lie to you now do I?" He smiled, "Shall we?"

She nodded and followed him into the open area.

He picked up one of the swords and handed it to her. She took it and it slammed immediately to the ground,

"It's so heavy…" She thought.  
"Oh, don't worry about the weight, it's probably just from you being out of commission for so long."

She thought it was a little strange, but decided to go with it anyway.

They walked into the center of the empty space, Yuki trying her hardest just to hold the sword up at all. Aizen grinned,

"Let's begin…"

[][][]

After Urahara saw everyone off he met back up with Isshin outside,

"How'd it go?"

"As usual. They all seemed more eaget than usual this time however."

"They'll be fine, let's get going."

[][][]

They walked a short distance until they came to the large glass front doors of the Karakura Hospital. They quickly walked inside, winding their way through the hallways and up flights of stairs until they came to the office of the hospital director. They swiftly entered the office.

At the large desk on the opposite side of the room sat Ishida Ryuuken, he looked up as they entered, glasses shining in the lamp light from his desk,

"What is it exactly that you two have come to me for?"

Isshin looked up, a little saddened, "You're not even going to ask us to sit or anything?"

He growled, "Fine, sit down if you must."

The two of them settled into two chairs sitting in front of the desk,

"Alright, now, what do you want? It sounded rather urgent…"

"It's Yuki…"

"You mean that Taichou Aizen was using as a toy? What about her?"

"She went back to Aizen, in hopes that he would heal her. He barred any of us from using our healing power on her. We're pretty sure that he's not actually going to help her, and she may even be worse when she is returned here. Since none of us could help her…We were hoping that perhaps you could."

Ryuuken leaned back in his chair, "You couldn't do anything, Kurosaki?"

"I did what I could, but the damage was pretty extensive."

They sat silently for a bit while Ryuuken contemplated this, then he leaned forward again,

"I guess I can help…Just bring her here as soon as you can."

"Really?" Isshin asked.

"Yes…Really. Now get out of here before I change my mind."

[][][]

Ichigo, Renji, Ishida and Kiyomi made their way back to Hueco Mundo. Kiyomi lagged behind them a little, she was nervous. renji slowed down a little to walk along with her,

"You okay, Ayako san?"

"Oh yeah…Just a little nervous, but I'll be alright." She smiled sweetly.

[][][]

Yuki stood across from Aizen. She was quickly becoming exhausted again, and was barely able to stand. She had large purple bruises all over her body from where Aizen had struck her,

"You can't be done already?" He taunted, "Just a little more…" He thought, a smirk crawling across his face.

She slowly stood herself up straight,

"Just C'mon…"

"That's more like it."

Aizen rushed toward her again, slamming her back into the wall before she could even lift her arm up to stop him. She hit it hard and slid down onto the floor, her head down. Aizen watched her closely, "That should just about do it…"

He slowly made his way toward her, inching ever closer until he was only a few feet away. After another second of silence he was nearly floored by the sudden weight of the reiatsu filling the room. A split second later he was pinned against the opposite wall. She glared up at him, her eyes glowing red,

"Why are you doing this to me?" She demanded, pushing him into the wall, it cracked around him.

He laughed, "Exactly for this…"

"What?"

"You're now fully one with your hollow, you're…Perfect…"

She spun him around and threw him on the floor, "How dare you do this to me?"

"You're my creation, I can do as I please."

"You what…?" Her voice trailed off as she put her hand up to her mouth, "Why am I bleeding?"

"Heh…" Aizen Scoffed.

She pointed her sword at him, "Why?"

"I'm surprised it took you this long to notice anything"

He smirked. A sharp pain tore through her body. She looked down to find all of her wounds, joined now by new ones where the bruises had been before. She looked down to see Aizen's Zanpakuto in his hand now. She fell down onto her knees, dropping her sword on the floor.

Aizen stood up, towering over her, "I wanted to see this experiment through to completion. I simply used my Zanpakuto's affinity for illusion, making it so you wouldn't have any idea you what was happening, and keeping you from bleeding to death until I was done with you.."

She looked up at him for a moment, then spang toward him, slamming him back into the wall. She glared at him for a second, then pushed her sword slowly through his chest and into the wall behind him, pinning him there. She turned to leave,

"You won't make it out of here…You're bleeding too much."

She completely ignored him and stormed from the room.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

[][][]

Ichigo, Renji, Ishida and Kiyomi arrived in Hueco Mundo. The portal, which Urahara had managed to get more and more accurate, opened directly outside outside of Los Noches. Ichigo looked around,

"Does it seem strangely quiet around here to anyone else?"

The others quickly agreed. There were usually hollows roaming around, and wind blowing up the sand, but now there was nothing, just stillness,

"Just be on your guard."

They all nodded and went to find a way inside.

[][][]

Yuki had made her way to a vast white corridor that she recognized as her napping place when she was an 'd gotten about half way across the corridor before she collapsed. She tried to stand up, but she couldn't move her legs,

"I told you, you won't escape…"

She heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed. Her eyese widened as she turned to look. He stood over her, sword in hand,

"Perhaps I should just kill you now…" He picked her up by the throat, "Spare you the trouble of dying alone."

He put the sword up to her face, making a long deep cut on her left cheek.

Suddenly a blue flash filled the room and Aizen's sword was out of his hands and across the floor. Aizen grasped his hand as he dropped Yuki onto the floor. She suddenly felt arms catch her,

"Abarai?"

"Yeah." He picked her up and backed off. Ichigo and Kiyomi stepping in front of them. Ishida stood in the rafters, an arrow ready in his hand. Yuki looked up at her comraides,

"A-ayako…What're you doing here?"

"We were all worried about you, so I came to help."

Yuki slightly smiled. Ichigo looked back over his shoulder,

"Not to be rude…but…Renji, take her back toward the gate!"

He nodded and bolted off in the oposite direction. Aizen started after him, but Ichigo and Kiyomi stepped in front of him,

"You PESTS!"

[][][]

Renji had nearly made it back to the portal when a sudden pain filled his body. He fell into the sand, dropping Yuki in front of him. She pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, but was pushed back down by a foot on her back,

"You can't leave…"

"Why…"

"Because you belong to me now."

She turned her head a little to look up at him,

"What makes you think that?"

"I made you what you are now…Without me you would've been nothing…You belong to me!"

She growled, "I do NOT belong to you!"

Her Reiatsu slowly began to rise. She pushed herself back up onto her hands and knees, knocking Aizen backward into the sand.

He quickly stood up, dusting himself off. Yuki slowly got to her feet, fishing Korihoshi out of the sand. She glared,

"I never asked for any of this…You forced me to being this…" Her Reiatsu continueted to rise, "You forced me to put my friends in danger and made me hurt them!"

Her Reiatsu quickly overpowered Aizen and it took all of his power just to keep himself standing,

"I do not belong to you!" She screamed as her Reiatsu exploded.

When the dust settled she stood there, her Bankai formed around her.

[][][]

Kiyomi and Ichigo made their way back toward where the others had gone,

"Oh no…" Kiyomi remarked.

"Huh? What is it?" Ichigo asked.

"Yuki-Taichou…She's using her Bankai."

Ichigio narrowed his eyes, "…We have to hurry."

They sped up their pace until they ran through the door they'd come in from. Yuki stood there, staring Aizen down. Ichigio shook his head,

"With Reiatsu that heavy…We won't even be able to get close…"

[][][]

Yuki slowly made her way toward Aizen,

"You'll pay for what you've done to me…And to them…"

She dashed toward him and a second later the loud clang of metal resounded through the air. She was mere inches from him, her blade nearly hitting his chest,

"You're not fast enough to defeat me…"

She smirked, "Oh?"

Suddenly long, thin spikes of ice errupted from her entire body, they impaled him through the chest several times. His eyes widened with shock as he pushed himself away from her, blood gushing from his body as he pulled himself away, soaking his white robes. She caught a tiny glimpse of fear in his eyes before he turned serious once again,

"You…will PAY for this…" He said as he disappeared.

Yuki's Bankai shattered as she fell onto the ground, breathing heavily. Kiyomi and Ichigo ran to her side,

"Taichou!"

"I'm fine…Let's just get out of here…"

She forced hersel f to stand up and walked into the portal. The others looked at eachother, then quickly followed.

[][][]

Yuki led them all back toward Urahara's shop. The others staying fairly colse behind her, just in case she fell. It was truly taking every bit of energy she had just to keep herself upright, she knew if she stopped walking she would fall.

"How the hell is she walking around?" Renji whispered.

"Sheer willpower?" Ichigio replied.

"She just doesn't want to look weak." Kiyomi chimed in.

Ishida stayed silent, not wanting to get involved in the conversation,

"What're you whispering about back there?" Yuki demanded.

"Nothing Taichou." Kiyomi said.

Yuki growled, "Whatever, hurry up…"

[][][]

Hmm, things seem to be getting interesting ^-^


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

[][][]

After what seemed like days, they finally made it back to Urahara's shop. They were greeted by Urahara and Isshin, both of whom were shocked to see Yuki standing on her own. Isshin made his way toward her, while Urahara went to talk to the others,

"What happened?"

"We aren't exactly sure…" Kiyomi answered.

"She was pretty beaten up when we got there…and pissed…Even to the point of using her Bankai."Ichigo added.

Urahara glanced back at her, "She used her Bankai?"

All four of the group nodded,

"That's weird…How's she still standing?"

"We were trying to figure that out ourselves." Kiyomi responded.

Yuki glared as Isshin looked her over,

"Doesn't that hurt?"

"What?"

"Standing."

"No…I'm fine."

He raised an eyebrow, then walked behind her. He raised a hand and smacked her in the back. A visible shock wave of pain shot through her body. Her legs collapsed and she sunk to the floor. She scowled up at him. He stood over her, arms crossed, a wide grin on his face,

"What the hell?"

"I knew it. Even one step from where you were standing would've floored you."

She looked down at the floor, unable to come up with any kind of response,

"We shouldn't waste any more time, we should get her to Ishida as quickly as possible." Urahara said.

Uryuu stepped forward, "You're taking her to him?"

"We have no other choice. None of us can do anything."

Yuki scrambled to her feet, doubling over a little,  
"I don't want a Quincy with a hatred of Shinigami like that man has, coming anywhere near me."

Isshin glared, "You'll do this, or you'll die."

She backed up a little, then dropped to the ground like a sack of rocks. Urahara stood behind her, a needle in his hand,

"Can we go now, please?"

[][][]

Ryuuken greeted Isshin and Urahara at the door to the hospital, along with him were two nurses with a gurney,

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to take her from here…"

The two nurses wheeled the gurney around and Urahara carefully placed her onto it,

"No visitors until I get her patched up, am I understood?"

"Yes…" Urahara replied, beginning to regret his decision a little.

"I will contact you when you can come back."

He turned and walked back into the hospital, follwed by the two nurses pushing Yuki along.

[][][]

They slowly made their way back to the clinic where Hisagi and Kiyomi waited in the doorway,

"What'd he say?" Hisagi asked, leaning on Kiyomi for support,

"Nothing. We probably won't know for awhile."

Hisagi's face filled with disappointment. Kiyomi looked up at him and smiled,

"C'mon, cheer up! It's gonna be okay!"

He gave her a tiny, faint smile.

[][][]

"Jaku!" Aizen yelled, leaning against te wall of his throne room, staining the white wall a bright red. Jaku walked cautiously into the room,

"Yes…Aizen-Sama?"

"I need you to do something for me…"

"What is it, sir?"

"You need to finish off Yuki…" His voice was beginning to become very faint and distant.

"B-but you…"

"I have to take care of myself here…I'm letting you do it…" Blood began to pool on the floor around him,

"But what if…"

"If you fail..? Just hope that you don't…"

He swallowed hard, "Yes, sir…I understand."

He turned to walk out,

"One more thing."

He looked back as Aizen pulled something out of his coat,

"I had Szayel create this poison for me…In case I ever needed it…It's as powerful as I could have him make at the time…Use it…"

He tossed it to him and he caught it. It was a small bottle, full of a deep purple liquid. The bottle was very tightly sealed and had a cord wrapped around itfor attaching it to a belt. He gave Aizen a quick nod and dashed from the room.

Aizen sighed deeply as he bled heavily on the floor,

"Hitsugaya Yuki…You will pay dearly for what you've done to me…"

[][][]

Isshin, Urahara and Kiyomi sat in Isshin's office, waiting to hear from Ryuuken. Kiyomi paced impatiently back and forth across the room,

"Argh! Why is this taking so long?"

Isshin looked up from his chair behind his desk,

"Yelling isn't going to make it go any faster."

Just as he'd finsished speaking, the phone rang,

"You were saying?" She asked, a little bit of sarcasm in her voice, as he picked up the phone,

"Yes?" He listened for a moment, then slowly stood up, "Right, we'll be right there." He hung up,

"He's finished, he wants to talk to us…Immediately."

"Can I come along?" Kiyomi asked eagerly.

"Yeah, c'mon."

[][][]

Ryuuken greeted them once again at the large glass door entrance to the hospital,

"Come inside…Now…"

They followed him inside and through the winding halls and stairways to his office. They entered the dimly lit room, closing the door behind them. He leaned against his desk, pushing his glasse up onto his nose,

"Why didn't you inform me…That she has some kind of Hollow issue?"

Isshin and Urahara looked at eachother,

"We didn't think it was important," Urahara replied.

"Yeah, why?" Isshin inquired.

Ryuuken rolled up his sleeve to reveal a huge claw wound on his arm. Isshin let out a small chuckle that he tried to hold back,

"It's not funny! I could've been seriously hurt!"

"I doubt it. She was probably just startled and confused…I did drug her afterall…" Urahara replied.

He shoved his sleeve back down,

"Regardless, I managed to close most of her wounds, however, any strain of any kind, even too much speaking, could easily reopen them. She must be very careful."

He walked back past them and opened the door,

"I'll take you to see her now, if you'd like."

"Yeah!" Kiyomi shouted, instantly realized just how loud she's said it, "Oh…Sorry…"

Ryuuken glared for a moment, then left, followed by the others.

[][][]

He lead them up to the fifth floor, to the room at the end of the hall. He carefully put his hand on the door handle,

"Do prepare yourselves…It's pretty bad. It seems like a lot of it was still covered by Aizen's illusions when she got here…so it's probably worse than you remember."

He opened the door and they filed in. Yuki lay in the bed across from them, she was bandaged very heavily. Her face had a bandage on her left cheek, and several large purple bruises covered it. She was hooked up to all kinds of IV's and monitors,

"She is lucky…Any more damage and her body would've been completely useless."

Kiyomi sat down in a chair, "I think I'm going to stay here."

Ryuuken wanted to object, but knew there wasn't much he could do about it at this point. Instead he turned back to the other door and beckoned Urahara and Isshin to follow him out into the hall,

"Since that one is going to stay, perhaps her Fukutaichou should come as well…It pains me a bit to say this, but they may help her to get better."

"Well," Urahara started, "I think we can arrange for that, right Isshin?"

"I think so, Kisuke."

"Ugh, I'm tired of you two fools…Just go do it."

"Yes sir!" they both said, turning and marching off down the hall.

Ryuuken just shook his head.

[][][]

That's all I've finished writing for now. I hope to finish more soon!

Thanks for reading this far, and don't forget to review!


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

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That night Kiyomi and Hisagi made Yuki's hospital room their home. A heavy thunderstorm raged on outside. Kiyomi sat next to Yuki's bed, her arms on the bed, chin resting on them,

"D'you think she'll wake up soon?"

Hisagi leaned against the wall on the other side of the room, his arms crossed,

"Of course she will."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah…Just hurt a little…that's all…"

A loud BOOM of thunder made Kiyomi jump and shriek a little. Hisagi laughed,

"Oh c'mon…It just startled me a little bit…"

Hisagi moved to a nearby chair and sat down, "Startled, hm?"

"Oh shut up…" She said quietly, a little blush spreading over her cheeks.

They sat there for a moment, staring at eachother in silence, until Yuki began to stir a bit. They immediately turned their attention to her. She very slowly and groggily opened her eyes. They smiled down at her, and she smiled back, but only for a second, as her eyes shifted toward the hallway,

"What is that…?" She whispered.

Suddenly the room went dark as the power failed. It took a minute for the emergency power to kick on, but when it did, nothing but an eerie silence filled the building. A moment later they could hear the sound of heavy footsteps making their way toward them. Another sound joined the footsteps, the sound of something heavy and metal being dragged across the floor.

Yuki made an attempt to move, but Kiyomi and Hisagi both stopped her,

"Your wounds just closed, finally. We can't let you tear them back open again." Hisagi said, a reassuring tone in his voice,

"Yeah Taichou. You spend so much time taking care of us…We're gonna take care of you." Kiyomi agreed, pulling out her Zanpakuto and spinning it around, "Let's do this."

They made their way out into the hallway,

"Be careful…"Yuki whispered after them.

[][][]

The hallway was dark except for a few emergency lights. They waited there for a moment until a small figure came through the darkness,

"Aha…A welcoming party." Jaku smirked and picked his axe up from the floor, "Too bad you won't last long."

He swung the heavy axe toward them and they both jumped out of the way. He ran after them, looking into Yuki's room as he passed by.

He walked back down the hall, looking around,

"Where'd you go Shinigami? Come out, come out…"

A slight creak behind him made him turn, swinging his axe at full force, just barely missing Hisagi. The axe hit the wall and lodged itself there. He started pulling on it to try and free it, but it didn't seem to want to move.

As he struggled to free his weapon, Kiyomi took the opportunity and sprang down on him from the celing, stabbing her sword into his shoulder,

"Ah! Damnit!" Jaku screamed.

He grabbed Kiyomi by the hair and threw her down the hallway, leaving the blade behind. He tore it from his shoulder and threw it down the other way, well out of reach.

She stood up and staggered backward a bit as he furiously grabbed the axe with one hand and wrenched it from the wall. He slowly walked toward her, lifting the axe above his head. He was just about to strike when a sharp pain tore through him. He turned to find Hisagi behind him, sword in hand. He let out a low growl, "You pests are really starting to get on my nerves…"

Hisagi kicked Kiyomi's sword back to her and she scooped it up. Jaku growled,

"I've had about enough of you…"

He lifted his axe up toward Kiyomi and brought it down toward her,

"Ayako!" Hisagi yelled, dashing toward her, just barely managing to push her underneith it.

They both got to their feet. Hisagi held Kazeshini, now in its Shikai form,

"Oooooh, I'm reaaaal scared." Jaku taunted, laughing as he stomped back toward them.

Hisagi looked back at Kiyomi, "I'll draw his attention…You attack while he's distracted."

She nodded and Hisagi bolted off back down the hall. Jaku turned toward him, his axe hitting the surrounding walls and crumbling them as it tore through,

"You won't get away…" He said, starting after him.

[][][]

Hisagi sped, as fast as he could, down to the floor below. He could hear Jaku following him, the sound of metal scraping against the floor above him. He waited there, underneith a dark stairway, holding one part of Kazeshini in his hands, the other part was stuck into the wall a few feet above him, the chain across the stairs.

Jaku finally made his way down the stairs,

"Oh Shinigami, just come out…"He called.

He took a couple more steps down and his axe caught on something. Hisagi gave Kazeshini a little tug and it wrapped around the axe, pulling it down to where Hisagi stood,

"WHAT THE HELL?" Jaku exclaimed.

He looked around frantically, unsure of what had just happened.

[][][]

Ayako quickly removed her shoes and snuck off after Jaku. She easily made it to the top of the staircase where she could see him looking around.

She tip-toed down the stairs toward him, sword ready. She'd managed to come right up behind him, and was bringing her sword down on him, when he put his arm up to block it. It cut deep into his flesh,

"Ah ah…You didn't actually think that would work did you?"

He threw his arm down, flipping her over his head and onto the cold hard floor below.

Hisagi ran to her side, dropping the axe on the floor. He helped her to her feet,

"Now what do we do?" She asked.

"I don't know…"

Jaku continued down the stairs and to his axe,

"Your idea, while good in theory, was not good when applied." He picked it up and rested it on his shoulder, "At least it shows you're clever." He smirked, "But I'm done playing with you now."

He walked slowly toward them, the axe bouncing on his shoulder, a wide grin spread across his face, his eyes fixed on Kiyomi.

He took another couple of steps forward and was gone. The two Shinigami looked around cautiosly,

"Where…?" Kiyomi started, but was interrupted suddenly by the enormous axe coming right toward her face. She let out a gasp, having nowhere to go. She shut her eyes tight, waiting for the hit to come, but nothing happened. After a couple of seconds she opened her eyes. She let out a shocked squeal. Hisagi stood there in front of her, the axe lodged into his back,

"H-hisagi…" She squeaked.

He staggered forward a few steps, putting his hand on the wall behind her for support. He was so hunched over he had to look up at her,

"A-Ayako…"

He collapsed to the floor, pulling the axe out of his back,

Jaku smiled as he watched him sink to the floor,

"One down…One to go…"

His eyes moved up to meet with Kiyomi's. She stared down at him, eyes wide with fear. He took a few steps toward her, she tried to back up, but with the wall right behind her, couldn't go anywhere,

"You know…This little slice you gave me here on my arm stings…Perhaps you'd like one too?"

He spun the axe around playfully, coming to within an inch of her face with it.

He laughed, "Are you scared? I would be if I were you…"

He took a few more steps,

"It's really too bad I have to kill someone as cute as you…"

He began to raise his axe when he felt an extreme temperature change fill the room. He stood perfectly still,

"I thought you'd never come. Seemed like you were just going to let your subordinates die."

He lowered his axe and turned around to find Yuki standing at the top of the stairs. She was hunched over, having trouble standing. Korihoshi was in her hand, dragging on the floor,

"Leave them…alone…" She said, her voice barely a whisper.

He rested his axe on his shoulder again,

"Oh that's fine…I didn't come here for them anyway."

Kiyomi took this chance to run toward the stairs, but Jaku only let her get a few feet before he slammed the butt of his Axe into the back of her head, knocking her unconsious,

"Tsk tsk…"

She shakily lifted her blade, pointing it at him, "Bastard…You won't get away…with what you've done…to them…"

He smirked, "Defend them then…Kill me…If you can that is."

She growled, "Gladly…"


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

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Yuki slowly decended the stairs toard Jaku, the air in the hallway becoming heavier with every step she took.

Jaku scowled, "You probably shouldn't be wasting so much Reiatsu, I can't imagine you have much to spare."

"It doesn't matter…My job is to protect them…"

As soon as she got to the bottom of the stairs, she disappeared. She appeared again behind him,

"I'm getting tired of seeing you…"

She raised her sword and hit him between the shoulder blades with the hilt, making him stumble forward. She shunpoed in front of him, before he could steady himself, grabbed ahold of him, and slammed him into the wall. He quickly got to his feet,

"All that strength won't be lasting long."

He rushed at her, swinging his axe at full force. She dashed at him as well, and after a few seconds, it was over.

Jaku held his axe straight out, his arm shaking. He looked down at himself. Blood streamed from the middle of his torso, where Yuki's blade had nearly cleaved him in two. He looked up at her, standing across from him. His axe struck in the crook between her neck and shoulder.

They stood for a moment until Yuki moved her hand up to the axe blade. She pushed on it has hard as she could until it came loose. She pushed the axe back toward him until the weight of it pushed him off balance and he fell back against the wall.

He looked up at her,

"Looks like you win…Go ahead and kill me…"

He slowly reached down to his belt and untied the tiny bottle on his belt loop,

"But first…Please accept this generous gift from Aizen…"

He lifted the bottle and flung it at her feet, causing it to shatter. She looked down at it,

"And just what was that supposed to-…" She stopped and staggered backward, coughing uncontrollably, "What…Have you done…To me…"

Before he could give her any kind of an answer, she collapsed into a trembling heap on the floor.

He laughed a little, then noticed another presence there,

"I've had enough of this…You're disturbing the peace of my hospital…" Ryuuken walked up to Jaku and pointed at Yuki, "What'd you do to her?"

"I guess I have nothing to lose…" He choked out, "It was apoison that Aizen gave me…I don't know what it does though…"

"Hmmm…Great…" He turned, "I won't kill you…Go back to Aizen…Let him do with you what he will…"

Jaku's eyes widened and he disappeared, even though he knew going back ment certain death.

Ryuuken turned around and took in the scene. He sighed,

"What a mess…"

[][][]


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

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Ryuuken got everyone settled in their rooms once again, and had just finished treating Yuki. He stood in the doorway of her room, watching her,

"You are a strong little one…" He sighed and turned back into the hallway, "I guess we'll see if you can hang on…"

[][][][][]

Jaku stumbled back inside Los Noches, hitting the floor as soon as he entered. The axe on his back forcing him all the way down onto his hands and knees. He stayed like that for a moment until loud footsteps echoed through the corridor,

"I thought I told you not to return here…"

"But…" He started, but a sharp kick in the ribs sent him down onto the floor,

"I don't want to hear your excuses…"

He pushed himself up until he was sitting up,

"She was still too strong…There was no way I would've been able to beat her…"

Aizen's eyes narrowed and he spun around,

"I have some business to attend to…I will decide your fate later.."

He swiftly exited the room. Jaku sighed slowly, he would live…for now.

[][][][][]

Mayuri Kurotsuchi stood in his lab, waiting. He'd sent two of his squad members out to retrieve his latest specemen. He impatiently tapped his finger against his arm,

"Where the hell are they…?"

Suddenly he heard footsteps speeding toward his lab. The door slid open and a girl with bright green hair, small horns on her forehead, and a black half circle under her blue eye, her other eye was red, slid into the room in her socks. A guy lazily trudged in after her. He had blue hair and bright green eyes. He looked pretty much normal except for a large, long scar on his left cheek. He stood behind the girl, arms crossed behind his head.

Kurotsuchi stepped forward,

"Finally! Where is it?"

"Right here Taichou!" The girl exclaimed, reaching into her sleeve, "Um…Ah…" She reached into her other sleeve, "It was here a minute ago…I'm sure of it…"

"What? You can't have lost it! Fool!" Kurotsuchi screamed.

The guy sighed and reached into his robe,

"I have it here, Kurotsuchi-San."

He pulled out a tiny vial with dark purple liquid in it.

` Kurotsuchi snached it from him and held it up,

"Apparently this poison is very potent…" He swirled it around a little, "You're lucky you didn't break it."

He wrapped his hand around it, "I have work to do now…Nemu!"

Nemu scurried out from a back room and shuffled the girl out. They guy turned and followed her out.

[][][][][]

Yuki fluttered her eyes open and looked around her room. It was very dim. Suddenly she could hear a muffled sound. Her eyes drifted to her side, where Ryuuken stood over her. He was saying something, but she couldn't understand what it was. Everything seemed to be moving terribly slow. She slowly blinked.

[][][][][]

Ryuuken looked down at Yuki as her eyes fluttered open,

"Hey…You're finally awake."

She didn't respond, just blinked. He sighed and quickly checked her bandages, then sat down in the chair next to her bed,

"What the hell did that poison do to you?"


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

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Kurotsuchi rushed around his lab, preparing samples and waiting for results. He walked past one of his samples and stopped in his tracks,

"Eh?"

He backed up a couple of steps. The computer screen above the sample was blinking a message that read 'positive match',

"That's not possible!"

He took a quick look at the computer log for the sample,

"Rrrr…" He growled, "How…?"

"What is it, Mayuri-Sama?" Nemu asked.

He whirled around,

"Do you know what this is?"

"No, Mayuri-Sama."

"That's because it's something that shouldn't exsist."

He turned back around and Nemu walked up behind him, looking over his shoulder,

"But it does exsist, yes?"

"Well obviously!"

He reached into his robes and pulled out a bottle of blue liquid,

"Your Super Human drug?" Nemu asked.

"Not only that…But also Konjiki Ashiogi Jizo's poison…and a bit of the venom from that Arrancar snake…"

"Kiauna?"

"The name doesn't matter! What matters is how the hell Szayel got his hands on this!"

"I don't know about that Mayuri-Sama, but…Shouldn't Hitsugaya-Taichou be your main focus right now?

He sighed, "I suppose you're right…This mystery must be saved for later…For now, I must find an antidote that won't kill her…Although..She would make for a fine specemen…"

"Mayuri-Sama?"

"Ahem…Just a passing throught. Let's get to work."

He held out the vial toward her,

"Drink up."

She took it from him, "As you wish, Mayuri-Sama."

[][][][][]

Renji sat with Yuki in her room, Toushiro had asked him to check on her and report back to him. He'd been there for a couple of hours, and was finding it difficult to leave. He couldn't bring himself to tell Toushiro what was happening.

Urahara walked into the room and Renji looked up,

"Urahara-San?"

"Ah, Renji…I was hoping Ayako would be here."

"I think she's with Hisagi."

"Mmm…" He sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh…I just received a message from Soul Society."

Renji's eyes widened, "What…"

"The poison…It's worse than we feared…"

Renji raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

"It's made from a mixture of three potent poisons…Two made by Kurotsuchi…He doesn't know how...And the third from one of those Arrancar…Kurotsuchi is working on an antidote…He isn't sure how long it will take…" He paused, "He says one of the poisons is one that can make time slow down for the effected person…"

Renji looked back at Yuki, unsure of what to say. Urahara sighed,

"That probably explains why she's so unresponsive…" He turned, "Anyway, I should go tell Ayako and Hisagi what's going on…"

Renji nodded, "Right."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

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Nearly a week had passed without any word from Soul Society. Ayako had spent her time between Yuki and Hisagi's rooms. But recently Hisagi was feeling well enough to spend a little time everyday in Yuki's room as well.

He and Ayako sat in silence, watching their sleeping Taichou. Neither of themknew what to say, afraid of upsetting the other. Ayako sighed. Hisagi looked up at her,

"Don't worry…She'll…She'll make it through this…somehow…" His voice trailed off.

Ayako nodded a little, not quite sure what to think. She looked up as she heard the sound of footsteps running down the hall toward them.

A few seconds later the door swung open and Toushiro slid into the room,

"Yuki!"

Hisagi looked up at him, a little startled,

"Hitsugaya-Taichou?"

He was out of breath,

"I…I finally got the chance…To get away and…Come here…" He sat down on the edge of Yuki's bed and took a moment to catch his breath, "Has anything happened in the past few days?"

Hisagi lowered his head, "No…Ishida says her condition is stable…but not improving."

Toushiro looked over his shoulder at his sleeping twin. She looked peaceful, although, once in awhile, a small twinge of a wince would cross her face. He put his hand on top of her bandaged one,

"Yuki…"

[][][][][]

Kurotsuchi had been working non-stop for the past week, trying to come up with some kind of antidote. He sat down in a large chair,

"No matter what I try…it's wrong! What the hell combination did he use in this damn poison?"

"Um..Excuse me…Mayuri-Sama?" Nemu said.

He rested his head on his hand, "What is it?"

"Look here…"

He turned toward her. She stood, bent over, in front of the computer monitor, pointing at something. He slowly stood and made his way to where she stood,

"What is so important?"

"This…Here…"

He bent down and glanced at what she was pointing at. It was a blinking red word,

"Match…?" He paused for a moment, "It's a match?"

He carefully read the information on the computer screen,

"Nemu, we've done it!"

"What do we do now?"

"Make a proper dose, and take it to the living world…We must be quick about it."

Nemu nodded, "Yes, Mayuri-Sama."

[][][][][]

Aizen paced back and forth in his main hall. Jaku, who still sat against the wall there, watched him,

"What's wrong, Aizen-Sama?"

Aizen glanced at him,

"Because of your failure, there is no doubt that she will survive."

"But…The poison!"

"I'm sure it works too slowly…Szayel wanted his victims to suffer…They're probably already working on an antidote." He growled, "What are you going to do to make this up to me?"

"I-I don't know…"

Aizen stopped, "You'd better think of something. You're of no use to me otherwise." He turned, "Don't take to long…I'll be awaiting your decision…" He slowly exited, leaving Jaku alone, once again. He jus tsat there, head down, eyes wide,

"What the hell do I do now?"


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

[][][][][]

Another two days went by. Ryuuken had made Hisagi return to his room, and Ayako went along with him. This left Toushiro alone in the room with Yuki.

It was a dark night, a storm raged in the distance. Crickets could be heard chirping through the open window. Toushiro had dozed off. He sat in a chair with his arms and head rested on Yuki's bed.

He was suddenly jolted awake by the door slamming open. He looked up up groggily to find Ryuuken standing in the doorway, Kurotsuchi and Nemu behind him,

"Wh-What's going on?"

Kurotsuchi held up and IV pack full of a glowing, purpleish liquid,

"Is that…?"

"The antidote." He said, a very cocky tone in his voice.

Ryuuken grabbed it out of his hand, annoyed with how long this seemed to be taking. He walked across the room and hooked it up along with her other IV's,

"How long will this take?" He asked.

Kurotsuchi thought a moment, "It probably will take awhile…I wouldn't expect much improvement for at least 24 hours."

Toushiro turned back to Yuki and sighed, "Another 24 hours…"

[][][][][]

Aizen strolled back into the main hall, where he found Jaku, who hadn't moved at all,

"I've decided what the plan will be."

"Wha-"

"You were taking far too long…" He glared, "I just received word that Yuki Hitsugaya will be incapacatated for at least the next 24 hours."

"Wh-What do you want me to do?"

"Oh not much…I want you to go back…I'm sure she'll be rather heavily gaurded." He looked down at Jaku, "You're going to be the decoy…draw them away from her…"

"But that's crazy!"

"It's your punishment!" His voice boomed through the hall.

Jaku looked back down at the floor, "And then…?"

"I will kill her myself."

Jaku sighed, "Yes Sir…"

[][][][][]

Toushiro had once again dozed off, he'd felt a little more at ease now that he knew Yuki had been treated with the antidote.

` Hisagi lay in his room, Ayako sitting next to him. He let out a long, heavy sigh,

"What's wrong, Hisagi?"

"I just…Have a bad feeling…" He sat up, "We have to go check on Yuki-Taichou…"

"What?" Ayako asked, "Why?"

"We just do."

[][][][][]

Ayako and Hisagi made their way out into the hallway, a familiar sound filled the air there. The sound of something heavy swining back and forth.

They looked down the hall toward Yuki's room to find Jaku standing outside the door, swinging his axe back and forth. He slowly raised his head and looked toward them. His eyes were sullen, lifeless, like he had no desire to fight them at all,

"What are you doing back here?" Hisagi demanded.

Jaku sighed, "I was sent to finish the job."

He stopped swinging the axe and rested it on his shoulder,

"Shall we get this over with?"

[][][][][]

Yuki lay alone in her room. Toushiro had been drawn from the room by the commotion in the hall. She was beginning to regain a little lucidity, but it was a very slow process.

She suddenly heard the door to her room latch shut, and slowly opened her eyes. Things were a little blurry from having them closed for so long, she could, however, make out a tall figure, dressed in white, standing at the end of her bed. She tried to speak, but no sound came out.

A small chuckle came from the figure,

"Good to see you're still suffering from the poison…"

'Aizen…' She thought.

He took a few steps forward, "You won't be suffering for much longer…"

She heard the sound of metal scraping on the floor and saw a flash of light as his Zanpakuto came down toward her.

A second later he let out a loud growl when he found the bed beneath his blade empty. He looked over the edge of the bed to see Yuki struggling to her feet,

"That's sad Aizen…" She managed to whisper.

"What's that…?"

"I can barely move…And you still can't touch me…"

"How…dare…you…"

She smirked.

[][][][][]

Hisagi, Ayako and Toushiro had backed Jaku into a corner. He was severely damaged. They were just about to go in for the kill when he stopped them,

"W-wait…" He said through heavy breaths, "…You should…Go…Back to…Your Taichou…" He took a deep breath, "…I was just…a decoy…Aizen…" He coughed, "Aizen…is after her…for himself…"

They all looked at eachother, then back at him,

"You'd better not be lying." Hisagi said firmly as they turned and ran back toward Yuki's room.

Jaku slid down onto the floor, "Take that…Aizen…"

[][][][][]

Aizen had pinned Yuki against the wall, holding her upright by her shoulder. She was barely able to stand on her own power. The fact that things were still moving slowly for her was terribly disorienting.

He brought his blade up and ran it down her face. It took her a moment to even feel it. When she finally did, a wince crossed her face. Aizen smirked,

"This could be fun…"

He drew his blade back again and was about to hit her with it, when the door slammed open and Ayako, Hisagi and Toushiro piled in. Aizen turned, startled,

"What? Where's Jaku?" He demanded.

"Dead…" Ayako said flatly.

Aizen ground his teeth together, "I have to do everything myself!"

He let go of Yuki making her fall to the floor, and turned to the others,

"You'll all die here…"

"I think not…" Yuki muttered, slamming Korihoshi into his back, and out through his chest. He looked back over his shoulder at her,

"H-how…?"

She tore it back out of him and he fell onto his knees, blood pouring from his chest. He put his hand over the wound, "Impossible…"

He stayed there for just a moment, until he could gather up his strength, and then disappeared.

Yuki took an unsteady step forward and fell, dropping Korihoshi onto the ground, a loud clang filling the room. Hisagi caught her,

"You should rest now Taichou…You're exhausted…"

"No…There's someone I need to talk to first…"

[][][][][]

The three Shinigami lead Yuki down five floors to where they fought Jaku, in the lobby. She stopped ahead of them at the top of the stairs and looked back,

"I'll go on my own…" She whispered.

"But-" Ayako protested.

Hisagi put a hand on her shoulder, "It'll be fine."

Yuki made her way slowly down the stairs and into the dimly lit lobby. Blood covered the walls in waves as she made her way closer to the hunched figure in the corner. She stopped in front of him and he slowly looked up at her,

"Why…"

"What…?"

"Why did you help me..?"

He looked down, "Aizen deserved to die…I hated him…I'm not anyone's slave…I don't need a master…"

Yuki brought Korihoshi up and leaned on it.

Jaku looked back down at the floor, "Go ahead, finish me off…I have no use in this condition…With my body broken like this…"

Yuki smirked, "No…"

He looked up at her again, "Eh?"

"You saved my life…I will spare yours…But you have to leave…and you can't come after us ever again…"

He raised an eyebrow, then nodded.

"Good…" She turned and started to walk away, when a blinding pain tore through her. She turned to see Jaku standing behind her, an evil grin on his face, his axe lodged in her back,

"You Shinigami are too trusting…You should've killed me when you had the chance…"

"YUKI-TAICHOU!" Hisagi and Ayako yelled in Unison, Toushiro just stood shocked.

Jaku laughed, "…I may have wanted Aizen dead…But that doesn't mean…I didn't want you dead too…"

He used the weight of the axe to push her down to her knees, and put his foot on her back,

"I just wanted to do it myself…"

He pushed his foot into her back and dislodged the axe,

"Bye bye now…"

She turned back toward him, but he was gone. She slammed her fists into the floor, it cracked around them,

"YOU BASTARD!" She screamed.

Toushiro, Ayako and Hisagi all ran down the stairs and to her side,

"Yuki…" Toushiro said in a calm and quiet voice, "You need to rest…Your reiatsu…"

"Shut up!" She yelled, suddenly standing up, "I'm going to find him…and KILL him with my own hands!"

She managed to take a couple of steps forward before her legs collapsed under her. Hisagi, once again, managed to catch her,

"You can't do anything in this condition, Taichou." Ayako said, "You need to rest and heal up first."

She blinked a few times, as the edge of her vision started to darken, "But…"

Toushiro knelt down next to her, "Your reiatsu is fading…You can't keep going this way…" He looked at Hisagi and Ayako, "You two get her back to her room, I'll go and find Ishida-San."

The two of them nodded. Hisagi looked back down at Yuki, her eyes were now closed,

"Alright, C'mon Ayako…"

He jumped up and sped back toward Yuki's room, followed by the other two.

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Sorry it took me so long to write more! I've been writing periodically here and there…then I realized I had 4 new chapters to upload!

I'll try to upload them as I get them done from now on, rather than writing a bunch and uploading them all at once.

I hope to have Chapter 27 up soon!


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

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Ryuuken worked quickly to repair as much damage from the large wound in Yuki's back as he could. It took him a little longer than he expected, because every time he seemed to get the bleeding to stop, it would start again. He finally managed to get it under control.

He exited the room and walked into the hallway, where Toushiro, Hisagi and Ayako waited. He let out a long sigh,

"I managed to stop the bleeding…and Stitched her up…but that's really only a temporary fix…This pushes her recovery time way back, due to all of the internal injuries it caused…" He sighed, "All we can do is wait and see how it goes…"He turned and started to walk down the hall, "Hitsugaya-San?"

"Huh?" He replied.

"Would you come with me please?"

"Oh…Uh…Alright…" He started after him,

"Hisagi, go rest for now…" Ryuuken instructed.

Hisagi nodded and Ryuuken continued down the hall, followed by Toushiro.

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Ryuuken lead Toushiro to his office and sat down behind his desk,

"Won't you sit, Hitsugaya-San?"

He hesitated a moment, then sat, "What is this all about, Ishida."

Ryuuken leaned forward, folding his hands atop his desk,

"As I'm sure you are well aware, Yuki's conditon…Is quite severe…And it continues to detereorate by the minute."

Toushiro looked down at the floor, "Yes…" He paused, "I can feel her…slipping away…"

"I thought you might…You two have a strong bond…"

He looked back up, "What about it?"

Ryuuken leaned back a little, "She needs…Very extensive…Surgery…"

Toushiro's eyes widened, worry written across his face, "What…do you want me to do…?"

"I need you nearby. If your bond is as strong as I suspect, you could be a huge help."

Toushiro just sat silent as Ryuuken continued,

"You can tell us if something…isn't right."

He sat silently for another moment, then moved his eyes up to look at him,

"Can you save her?"

"You don't trust me, hm?" He chuckled, "I suppose I understand…I wouldn't normally even help a Shinigami. However…I did give my word to Urahara, and I will do everything in my power to save her."

Toushiro thought for another moment, then nodded a little,

"Alright…I'll help…"

Ryuuken nodded and stood, "Good. I'll go begin the preparations…You should go and be with her for now." He walked to the door, "Even though things seem grim right now…She'll be alright."

Toushiro gave another little nod and stood, making his way back toward Yuki's room.

Ryuuken sighed, "I just hope I can keep that promise…"

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Toushiro walked slowly up the flight of stairs to the 5th floor. As he got closer to the top, he saw a lone figure standing in front of the large window at the end of the hall, watching the sunrise. He stopped on the top step,

"Ayako-San?"

She jumped a little, then quickly swiped her hands over her cheeks and turned around,

"Oh…Hitsugaya-Taichou…"

He stepped up to the top of the stairs, "Are you okay?"

"Yes…I suppose so…It's Hisagi I'm worried about…"

"Hisagi?"

"I'm afraid he's starting to lose hope…I don't know what would happen if we were to lose Yuki-Taichou…I'm afraid Hisagi…and our Division…would fall apart…" She sniffled a little.

Toushiro walked over to her and looked up at her, "I don't think she's given up…We just have to be strong for her…and for eachother…"

She nodded, a small smile forming on her face, "We'll do our best…"

Hitsugaya turned toward Yuki's door, "She needs to have surgery…Let Hisagi know?"

"Of course…"

He entered the room, leaving Ayako in the hall, "Yuki-Taichou…"

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Toushiro sat down in a chair. Yuki lay on her stomach, wrapped in bandages. The axe had hit the left side of her back, and was extremely deep. It cleaved into her lung and injured several other organs as well. She was hooked up to a resperator to keep her breathing,

"Caught in your blind spot…" Toushiro whispered.

He leaned back and watched her in silence for a moment in silence, until he noticed her hand twitch. He scrambled to his feet and to the side of her bed,

"Yuki?"

He watched her carefully for another moment until her eyes slowly fluttered open,

"Hey…"

She looked up at him and blinked, a confused expression on her face,

"D'you remember what happened?"

Her eyes moved around a little as she tried to remember, then widened as she looked back at him,

'Jaku…' She mouthed.

He nodded.

'How…Bad…?'

"Not to make you worry…but it's bad…"

'Hisagi…Ayako..?'

"They're okay…but they're worried about you…"

She looked down, a small wince crawling over her face, a tiny squeak escaping her mouth. Toushiro put his hand on her shoulder,

"Ishida says you need surgery…It sounds like it's going to be pretty major…"

She opened her eyes a little and looked at him,

'When?'

"As soon as possible I would think…"

She closed her eyes tightly and squeezed Toushiro's hand. He sighed,

"Just hold on a little longer…"


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

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Toushiro sat with Yuki, trying to keep her as calm as he could, until Ryuuken opened the door and entered the room along with three nurses. Toushiro turned,

"What took you so long?"

"Preparation takes time."

Toushiro looked back at Yuki, then tried to move out of the way so Ryuuken could do what he needed to, but he couldn't. He looked down to see Yuki's hand still clamped around his. He leaned down,

"Yuki…"

She looked up at him, 'Don't leave…'

He smiled a little, "I won't…But Ishida needs to do some things, and I need to get out of the way…"

She looked up at him for a few secons, then reluctantly released his hand.

Ryuuken signaled to the nurses and they moved in to do their jobs. Ryuuken injected something into Yuki's IV and looked down at her. Her eyelids started to droop a little, then closed,

"Alright, let's go! We don't have much time to do this! She can only be under for so long!" He glanced back at Toushiro, "Be sure to keep up!"

Toushiro nodded and ran after them as they rushed her from the room.

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Once they were in the Operating Room, they situated Toushiro by Yuki's side. Ryuuken began shouting out orders,

"Don't forget Hitsugaya…Let me know if you sense anything."

He nodded, and Ryuuken got to work.

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He worked for a little while, then suddenly came to a stop,

"Ugh…"

Toushiro looked up, "What is it?"

"It's just…A little…Worse than I thought…"

"How much worse?"

"The internal damage…It's more extensive…It goes deeper than the axe itself actually did…"

"But…How…?"

"I don't know…You just concentrate on her, I'll do the best I can."

He grabbed ahold of Yuki's bandaged right hand and rested his forehead against it,

"C'mon Yuki…Just hang on…"

He closed his eyes tightly.

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Toushiro opened his eyes to find himself in a dark space,

"What the…Where am I?"

He looked around a little, and suddenly the sound of soft crying began to echo around him. He took a couple of steps forward and a figure appeared in the distance. She was hunched over on the ground, wearing a light purple robe. Her white hair fell losely over her shoulders,

"Yuki?"

He ran up to her, stopping a few feet from her, then started taking slow, cautious steps toward her,

"Yuki?"

She let out a small gasp, "Who's there?"

He put his hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay?"

She pushed his hand off with such force she nearly knocked him over, then stood up,

"Shiro…What are you doing here…?"

"I'm not sure exactly…What's wrong…?"

She sighed as she slowly turned. Toushiro let out a startled gasp. She looked like she was about 4 years old. Her right eye was a glowing, red, catslit eye,

"You're…so small…"

"Reiatsu…"

"What?"

"I have hardly any left…it makes my body small here…"

"Where are we anyway…?"

"Somewhere deep in my mind I suspect…" She said, her voice very low and somber. She looked up at him, "I'm dying, aren't I?"

"No!"

She turned her back to him, "Don't lie to me."

"You just have to hold on a little lon-"

"No…" she interrupted, "My body is weak…It's getting harder and harder to keep going…"

He walked up behind her, "What about Hisagi…Ayako…Your whole division…"

"They would…Have to move on…"

"You know Hisagi couldn't handle that!"

"What do you suggest then? I can't do this anymore!" She growled, her eyes filling with angry tears,

"What if…I gave up some of my Reiatsu for you…"

She looked over her shoulder at him, "You'd do that for me…?"

He nodded,

"But you could die…"

He shook his head, "You're far more likely to die than I am…I've recovered from my injuries…I'll recover…"

"What if I take too much?"

"I won't let that happen." He reached his hand out toward her.

She hesitated, "But-"

"Just come on!"

She turned around and slowly reached her hand out,

"Thank you…Toushiro…"

He gasped as she grabbed his hand and the dark space instantly filled with a blinding white light.

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He awoke with a start to find himself laying in a hospital bed. His entire body ached. He slowly sat up and looked around. Across the room, in the light of the moon, lay Yuki. She was still on her stomach, her entire torso and left shoulder wrapped in tight bandages. She was hooked back up to everything, except that now she seemed to be breathing on her own.

He sighed softly, relieved to know that she was still alive. Suddenly his mind drifted back to their conversation,

'_Was that just a dream?_' He thought, '_She called me…_' "Toushiro." He whispered.

"Ah, you're finally awake, Toushiro." A familiar voice said from the doorway.

He turned to see Ichigo standing there. He leaned against the door frame, not yet fully recovered from his injuries. Toushiro turned his attention back to Yuki,

"What happened?"

"From what I was told…" Ichigo started, as he stepped into the room and leaned against Toushiro's bed, "…During the surgery, apparently, your Reiatsu suddenly plummeted and you blacked out…And her's," He nodded toward Yuki, "Went up…"

"…So maybe it wasn't a dream…" He muttered.

"Hm?"

"I saw her in a weird dark world…She said she was ready to give up…She…Wasn't able to go on anymore…" He stopped for a moment, trying not to show his sadness too much, "So I…Offered my Reiatsu to her…"

"She took it then?"

"Mm…" He sighed, "But I think maybe she doubted it would work…"

"Oh?"

"Just before she took it…She called me Toushiro…"

Ichigo was a little shocked, "What? In the entire time I've known her…She's never called you that…"

"No…I just wonder what it means…"

The two of them went silent, and just watched Yuki sleep.

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Don't forget to review ^-^


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

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A week went by quietly. It had been a long time since things had seemed so peaceful. Yuki lay alone in her room. The others had spent the entire day there with her, so Ryuuken decided that she should probably rest alone for the night. Crickets chirped loudly outside her open window. A cool breeze flowed through the room.

A bright green leaf flowed into the room in the full moonlight, landing on her cheek. She slowly reached up and brushed it off. It floated down, landing on her pillow in front of her face. She slowly blinked her eyes open, locking her eyes on the leaf. It was radiating a faint Reiatsu. She picked it up and a powerful jolt of Reiatsu flowed through her entire body,

"Jaku…Weiss…" She whispered, "…You're taunting me…" She crushed the leaf in her hand, it disintegrated, "I'm coming for you…"

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Hisagi slept in his room, Ayako dozed in a chair, her feet resting on his bed. Hisagi suddenly bolted upright,  
"Taichou!"

Ayako slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes, "Eh…? What's going on…?" She asked groggily.

"Yuki-Taichou…Something's wrong…"

He started to get up, but was in obvious pain. Ayako stopped him,

"I'll go check, you just rest."

He wanted to protest, but she was already out the door before she could say anything.

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Ayako walked down the hall to Yuki's room. She put her hand on the door handle, but hesitated to open it, afraid of what she might find on the other side. After a couple moments she took a deep breath, and went inside. She dropped to her knees as soon as she walked in the door,

"Gone…"

Hisagi walked up behind her, "I knew it…"

She looked up at him, "What?"

"The second she was able to move…She went after him…"

Ayako sighed, "What a troublesome Taichou…"

Hisagi turned, "She's just stubborn…But it's that Stubbornness that might kill her someday…" He paused, "But it won't be today…Let's go, we have to find her."

Ayako nodded, "Yes, sir!"

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Yuki made her way through the streets of Karakura. She had to take special care to walk properly, she knew if she tripped, she wouldn't be able to get back onto her feet.

She'd just passed the park when she noticed she was being followed. She stopped and grabbed Korihoshi's hilt,

"Abarai! Kurosaki! I suggest you stop following me…"

Ichigo came out from the shadows, and Renji jumped down from a nearby tree,

"You should go back to the Hospital!" Ichigo called, "You're not recovered nearly enough to be on your feet!"

She turned, facing them, "You should just go home…"

Renji took a step forward, "We can't do that."

Her eyes narrowed, "I don't want to have to hurt you two…" She growled, "But I will if you insist on pursuing me…"

"We're not going anywhere without you." Ichigo answered.

She sighed, "Very well…"

She pulled out Korihoshi and held it up above her head,

"I'm sorry about this…"

She swung it down with such force they were thrown back. They slid across the ground and back through a nearby building.

They staggered back to their feet to find the entire park covered in a thick layer of ice, a light, cold mist floated on the air. Yuki was gone,

"DAMN!" Ichigo Exclaimed.

He took a step forward, and something sharp skewered his shoulder. He looked down to find a long, sharp ice spike lodged there. He squinted around, and could see a few shining here and there, but could tell the whole place was full of them,

"Looks like we're stuck here for now." Renji said, anger beginning to rise in his voice.

"AHHHH! YUKI!DAMN YOU!" Ichigo yelled.

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Yuki eventually made it to the grave site near Ichigo's house. A loud hiss suddenly filled the air,

"You finally made it."

Yuki smirked, "You don't think I would've passed this up do you?"

Jaku stepped out into the moonlight. He was hunched over, his axe dragging on the ground. His wounds bleeding heavily,

"You don't look so good." She taunted.

"Funny…I was about to say the same thing about you."

She rested Korihoshi on her shoulder, "Should we start this? They'll be coming to find me soon."

He tilted his head to the side, amused, "Sounds good to me."

Yuki brought her sword down, and was gone, Jaku followed.

After a few seconds of slashing at eachother, they wound up in a deadlock,

"You're gonna die here." Jaku growled.

Yuki smirked, "I think not."

Suddenly her Reiatsu skyrocketed. The sheer pressure of it knocked Jaku back, and drove his axe into the ground. He put his arm up over his eyes to shield them from the flying dust.

A moment later, the pressure was gone. He put his arm down and looked up at her, letting out a tiny gasp. Yuki stood, towering over him. Her right eye now glowed red, a catslit pupil,

"Rrrrr…" She growled, "I'm tired of you…" She pointed Korihoshi at him, "You've done enough damage…"

Jaku stood, "Go ahead and try me…"

She dashed at him, but he was gone before she even got to him,

"You're open…" Jaku's voice echoed in her ear. She turned just in time for Jaku's axe to tear into her left shoulder.

She stumbled backward her hand over the new wound, a look of total shock on her face,

"How…?"

"After our last fight, it was pretty obvious…" He was suddenly right in front of her, moving her hair out of her face, "…You're blind on your left." He made a little painful sound, "Ouch…look at that scar…"

She glared, "RAAAAAHHHH!"

Her Reiatsu once again exploded and she slammed her hand into his chest. He flew backward, breaking down several gravestones.

He got unsteadily back to his feet, blood now running down his face. He looked around him at all the broken stones, "…That's bad luck you know…"

He looked over at her, through the blood falling in front of his eyes. She held her blade toward him once more,

"Go…Korihoshi…"

He began to back up as ice began to form at the end of the blade,

"No…This can't happen…"

A gigantic ice cat head formed, then suddenly flew at him, giving him no time to move out of the way,

"NOO!"

It slammed into him, full force, freezing him into an enormous ice tower. She slashed her sword downward and the tower shattered into a million tiny pieces, filling the air with a cold mist. Nothing but that remained. She smirked,

"Farewell…Jaku Weiss…"

As the adrenaline from the battle began to wear off, the pain from her wounds overwhelmed her. She dropped Korihoshi on to the ground with a loud Clang and grabbed her shoulder,

"Ugh…Bastard…"

She fell forward, unconsious.

Ichigo ran up to her from watching the fight on the sidelines. He knelt next to her, his robes torn up and his body full of small, deep cuts from Yuki's ice trap. He sighed as he looked down at her,

"Why must you be so stubborn…It's not like you've got to prove yourself to anyone…" He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, "You're gonna kill yourself you know…"

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Is Jaku dead for good? Who knows!

Don't forget to review ^-^


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

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Ichigo slowly made his way back to the hospital, Yuki draped over his shoulder. He sighed. Suddenly Yuki snapped awake. Ichigo stopped and looked over at her as she glared coldly at him,

"Kurosaki…Put me down…"

He hesitated a moment afraid of what might happen if he did, but eventually decided to set her down.

He carefully set her on the ground, and her legs buckled beneath her,

"Damn…" She hissed through clenched teeth.

Ichigo knelt down and held out his hand. She reluctantly took it and he helped her back onto her feet.

She looked down at the ground, embarassed. Ichigo smiled as she turned to walk away,

"Where are you going?"

"Back to the park…"

Ichigo started after her, "I'll come with you."

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After getting back to the park, Yuki got rid of all of the ice that remained there, then sat down on a swing, Ichigo sitting next to her,

"You probably think I'm a fool…" She muttered, looking down at the ground, her hair covering her eyes.

He shook his head, "Why would I think that?"

"The way I fight…"

"You're a little stubborn I guess…"

She laughed, "A little?"

Ichigo looked over at her, "Maybe…A lot…But you seem to like to fight."

"The truth is…" She looked up, "…The more wounded I am, the stronger I become…"

Ichigo wasn't sure what to say. Yuki looked up at the clear, starlit sky,

"It sounds strange, I know…But it's true…Not many others know that about me. Not even Shiro or Hisagi…"

"Why wouldn't you tell them?"

She chuckled, "You don't understand. They would never allow me to fight in such a conditon…When I'm to the peak of my power…I get one shot…" She paused and looked over at him, her blue eyes glowing in the moonlight, "Kill the enemy…or die…" She sighed, "Of course…once it's all over…I become overwhelmingly exhausted…"

Ichigo shocked at this, "That's dangerous…"

"Believe me…I know that…" She smiled a little, "But if it comes to the point of defeating my enemy …or letting those you care about die…The choice is easy…"

"Wow…"

"I couldn't give Jaku the chance to regenerage, I had to act while my strength was higher than his…I couldn't allow to hurt any more of you…In order to get to me…" She stood up, "We should probably go…"

Ichigo nodded and stood, "You know Toushiro would be mad if I let you walk back on your own…"

She sighed and looked back at him, "I know, you're probably right."

"Just climb up onto my back."

She nodded and he leaned forward so she could climb up. She did so and they made their way slowly back toward the hospital.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

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They returned to the hospital about half an hour later. Ichigo took his time so he could talk to Yuki on the way. He'd also called the hospital and told them he was returning with her.

When they got there Ryuuken stormed out to them. Hisagi, Ayako and Toushiro stood behind him, arms crossed. Yuki slunk down and hid behind Ichigo. He glanced back at her.

Ryuuken pushed his glasses up onto his nose,

"Hitsugaya Yuki…" He said, his voice low.

She nervously stumbled out from behind Ichigo, but didn't look Ryuuken in the eye, or speak a single word,

"I agreed to help you, but you are really testing my patience." He crossed his arms, "And you've gotten yourself another injury." He turned, "Bring her inside, Kurosaki…She get's one more chance here…" He looked over his shoulder, "Don't defy me again…"

He turned back toward the hospital and continued inside, shoving his way past the shinigami who stood in front of the door.

Ichigo helped her back up onto his back and carried her up the stairs. She burried her face into Ichigo's shoulder as they passed the others, she didn't want to look them in the eyes. Ichigo walked inside, followed by the other shinigami.

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Yuki awoke suddenly, back in her bed again. She quickly sat up,

"Ah!" She squealed as the pain shot through her body. She put her hand onto her shoulder, it was now bandaged up,

"What…What happened?"

Just then, the door slowly opened. She looked up, eyes once again glowing in the light of the full moon. Hisagi slowly entered the room. He looked terrible. It was obvious that he hadn't slept in several days. He looked very weak, and was trying to hide the pain he was in,

"Sh…Shuuhei..?"

He walked over and sat down on the bed next to her. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, not saying anything. After a moment of toal silence, he finally spoke,

"Why…Why did you go after him…?" He asked weakly.

"I had to…"

"But why?" He demanded.

She sighed, "It was my only chance…That's all I can say…"

He wasn't satisfied with that answer, but didn't have the energy to push her about it anymore.

He slowly reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him. She looked up at him, a pained look on his face,

"You…You can't leave us Taichou…We need you…"He whispered.

She leaned against him and closed her eyes, "I won't…I promise you…"

He held her tightly, "You better not…"


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

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A few hours later, the sun began to rise. Both Yuki and Hisagi had fallen asleep. Ryuuken knocked on the door and walked inside. He smiled a little, seeing the two of them there, then walked over to Yuki. He shook her a bit,

"Yuki…" He called softly, but got no response.

Hisagi pulled his arm out from behind Yuki's back and gave her a little shove,

"Taichou…Wake up…" He said groggily.

Without missing a beat, Yuki pushed him back, so hard he fell of the edge of the bed. She rolled over and pulled the blanket up over her head. Hisagi cautiously got to his feet,

"Is this normal?" Ryuuken asked.

"Ugh…She's usually pretty hard to get up…" He hunched over, his hand on his chest, breathing heavily. Ryuuken rushed over to him, "You need treatment…"

"But-"

"No…" He made him lay down on the bed that was brought in for Toushiro. He did so, and yelped out in pain the second he hit the mattress.

Ryuuken quickly examined his chest wound,

"It's reopened…This needs to be taken care of immediately." He put his hand on Hisagi's arm, "Relax…"

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It took him a few hours to get Hisagi back into a stable condition, but once he did, he returned to Yuki. The moment he entered the room, he noticced a drastic change in the Reiatsu that now filled it. He stopped just inside the door,

'Move!' Something told him. He managed to jump backward just as a clawed hand swiped at his face.

He stood back up, watching inside the darkened room. Suddenly a glowing red eye appeared inside the room, and a loud, shrill laughter filled the hallway.

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Urahara looked up from his tea,

"Hm?"

Jinta glanced back at him from where he was watching TV across the room,

"What?"

"Yuki's power…She's lost control…I thought this might happen." He took another sip of his tea, then sat his cup down and stood up, "Let's go Jinta, you're coming with me."

He laid down on the floor, "Aw…Do I gotta..?"

Urahara turned, "This may prove to be more difficult than I can handle on my own," He walked toward the door, "Hop to it."

[][][][][]

Ryuuken flew down the stairs and into the wall below. Just as he started to stand, he heard slow footsteps walking toward him. He looked up to see Yuki standing at the top of the stairs. Her eye was glowing red once again, a wide grin spread across her face,

"Ow…That looks like it hurts." She laughed, "I will end that pain for you…"

Before he could even blink, she was mere inches from him,

"Ah…" He squeaked, startled.

"Heh…" Was the last thing her heard before claws came crashing toward his face. He braced himself, but all he heard next was a loud CLANG that echoed through the hall. He opened his eyes to find Urahara standing between Yuki and himself. He held Benihime in front of himself, blocking Yuki's attack. The force of her claws causeing large cracks in the scabbard.

Ryuuken growled, "I don't need your help, Kisuke."

"Could've fooled me…" He forced Yuki back, "Regardless, if you want this problem solved, you'll need my skills." He turned his attention back to Yuki, "Mind if I step in?"

She crossed her arms and smirked, "Doesn't make any difference to me…You'll both be dead soon anyway."

"What about your Zanpakuto?"

"I don't need it, I'll beat you without it."

Urahara smirked, intrigued, "Very well, let's make thing fair then," He tossed Benihime to Jinta, who stood on the flight of stairs below them, "I'll discard mine as well."

"You'll regret it…"

"We'll see."

A split second later they were gone, appearing again at the top of the stairs. Yuki slammed her hand into Urahara's face and pushed him backward through the wall behind him, into another part of the hospital. He slid to a stop, wiping a little blood from his face,

"I have to end this quickly, I might really get hurt if it draws out too long…"

Just as he'd finished his thought, she was all ready with another attack. He dodged to the side and grabbed her arm, flipping her back through the hole in the wall.

She skidded to a stop , but tripped a little and lost her balance. Urahara took that moment to wrap an arm around her and hold her there,

"Ah! What the hell are you doing?" She shrieked as she started to struggle,

"Ugh! Jinta!"

Jinta ran halfway up the stairs and tossed Benihime back to him. She stopped moving and looked back at him,

"What are you doing?" She demanded.

He spun benihime around a few times in his hands, and stopped it with the end of the cane facing her back, "I'm putting and end to this once and for all."

She gasped, "No…"

The end of the hilt began to glow, "Kin…"

"AH!" She shrieked, struggling even more to break free, but he just held her tighter,

"Enough."

He slammed it into the back of her neck.

He carefully let go of her and she stumbled forward. Her eye changed back to normal, and her vision began to blur. She put her hand up to her neck. A cat skull now branded there. It remained for a few seconds, then faded away,

"What…did you…do to me..?" She asked, her voice becoming faint.

Before he could answer, she fell forward, hitting the floor with a great amount of force, unconsious.

Urahara sighed, "Too bad it had to come to this…That hollow's power could've made you stronger…"

Ryuuken walked up behind him, holding his limp right arm with his left hand,

"Do you think she'll recover?"

"I suspect so. It will take some time for her to readjust." He walked past Ryuuken and started down the stairs, "She's in your hands now, Ishida-San. Let's go Jinta."

Jinta nodded and lazily followed him.

Ryuuken looked down at Yuki, narrowing his eyes,

"Tch…You're more trouble than your worth…" He sighed, "I guess I can fix you…One more time…Even if you're not worth the effort…"

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So that's the last chapter for now. I'm starting to get a little writer's block, so I'm gonna take a break for a little while, I'd say a week or so. Anyway, I hope you've liked it so far, and please don't forget to Review ^_^


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

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It had been a little over a month since that night. Ayako had been called back to Soul Society. Hisagi was still recovering, but seemed to be doing better. Toushiro refused to leave Yuki's side, despite Matsumoto's insisting he needed to rest.

It was a beautiful day outside. The sun shined brightly and a light breeze blew through the open window, through the curtains and into the room. Toushiro sat next to Yuki's bed, holding her hand. He'd just begun to doze off when a twitch under his hand snapped him awake. He jumped up and stood over her.

After a couple of seconds, her eyes fluttered slowly open. She looked up at him for a moment before she tried to speak,

"I can't move…W-what…?"

Toushiro stopped her, "Your hollow power…It had to be sealed due to it getting out of control…We didn't have a choice…" He sat back down, "Ishida said it took a huge toll on your body…It could be months before you are fully recovered…"

She sighed, "I see…" She winced.

Toushiro took her hand, immediately noticing how hot it was, "You're burning up…"

"My…body hurts…"

He stood up, "I'll go get Ishida."

He started to leave but wasn't able to get too far. He looked back to find her holding onto his sleeve. He turned back to her,

"I'll be right back, I promise."

She reluctantly released him and watched him exit the room.

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He returned a few minutes later with Ryuuken, to find Yuki curled up in a ball, trembling. The two of them rushed to her side,

"What's happening?" Toushiro asked, beginning to panic a little.

Ryuuken examined her quickly, then sighed,

"Her body is rejecting Urahara's seal…"

"Rejecting it?"

"Yes. He's going to have to remove it…Otherwise it could kill her."

Toushiro looked down at her, "That'll take time, can't you do anything?"

"I'll give her a sedative; it'll help…at least for now."

He grabbed a syringe and injected her with the sedative.

It took a few minutes, but she slowly relaxed and drifted into a deep sleep. Ryuuken stood up straight,

"I'll go call Urahara…I just hope this can be fixed."

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A short time later Ryuuken returned with Urahara in tow. He walked over to her bedside and leaned over her,

"Huh…You're stronger than I thought." He lifted up Benihime, "I'll remove the seal…But I will not be held responsible if she gets out of hand again…" He sighed, "If she can't control it she may not be able to return to Soul Society."

Toushiro shook his head, "She'll be able to go back…"

Urahara smirked, "Alright then…Ryuuken, roll her over onto her stomach."

He reluctantly did as he was told.

Urahara waved his hand over the back of her neck, making the cat skull seal reappear. He sighed as he lifted Benihime up over his head, "Here it goes…" After a moment's hesitation he slammed it down into the back of her neck.

A heavy reiatsu filled the room, but was gone mere seconds later,

"Alright…It's done…Just remember…I don't know what will happen with her now…She needs to control her power…"

Toushiro looked down at her. She was breathing heavily from having exerted such a great amount of energy. His eyes narrowed,

"Don't worry about that…I'll take care of it…"

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Sorry I took so long to update! Only a couple more chapters till the end! XD


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

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Another week went by with nothing happening. Toushiro still hadn't left Yuki's side, but had been in contact with Soul Society. They had been informed of the situation, and agreed to allow Yuki to return to her duties as 9th division Taichou, as long as Toushiro helped her to keep her powers in check. He, of course, agreed to these terms.

He watched Yuki sleep. She looked very peaceful. Her wounds had finally begun to heal, and Ryuuken was ready to release her whenever she awoke. He looked up at the window across the room. The bright orange sunset peeking through the curtains.

Suddenly he noticed something sitting on the window sill. A large, black, Hell Butterfly sat there, seemingly resting. After a moment it fluttered into the room and landed on Yuki's cheek. She slowly swiped at it, and it moved momentarily, before landing there again. Yuki rolled over,

"Hisagi…?" She muttered.

She slowly blinked her eyes open to find the butterfly hovering in front of her face. She scowled, "Ugh…What do you want?"

"I brought you a message from Hisagi Shuuhei."

"Uh-huh…"

"He says it's time for you to get up now."

Her eye twitched. Toushiro chuckled. Her attention snapped to him,

"Shiro-Nii?"

"Finally noticed me, hm?" He smiled, "How are you feeling?"

She thought about the question for a moment, and realized most of the pain she had been in, was gone,

"Actually…I feel pretty good…"

"Ishida says that you need to rest when we get back to Soul Society…And we have to work on getting your power under control…"

She nodded, knowing that it could possibly get out of hand again,

"Also…" He continued, "The third division was assigned a new Taichou while we've been gone. We need to introduce ourselves."

"Wow…It was taking so long…I thought it would never happen."

He laughed a little, "I know."

She smiled, knowing things had been going well since she was out made her feel better.

Toushiro stood up, "I'm gonna go find Ishida and see about getting you out of here."

She nodded. He left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

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A few hours later, she was ready to go. She was still bandaged up, and her left arm was bound to her body so she wasn't able to move her injured shoulder. Ichigo, Orihime, Uryuu and Chad had come to see her off. They were all still a little worried about her. She said her goodbyes to everyone, and stopped at Ichigo. He looked down at her, "Take care…Don't push yourself too much…"

She smirked, "I can't promise you I won't…"

He nodded, "I know…"

Yuki turned back to Toushiro, "Let's go."

He nodded and they left on their way back to Soul Society.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

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They arrived in Soul Society at nightfall. They were welcomed by Hisagi and Ayako,

"Welcome home, Yuki-Taichou!" Ayako called.

Yuki smiled, "It's good to be back."

Toushiro stepped forward, "We should go meet this new Taichou."

"Ah, Inori-Taichou! C'mon, he'll be so happy to meet you!" Ayako said cheerfully as she skipped off toward the 3rd division. Toushiro followed right behind her. Yuki stayed back a little to walk with Hisagi.

He looked down at her as they walked,

"You look tired, Taichou."

She nodded, "A little…" She glanced up at him, "You on the other hand are looking a lot better."

He smiled a little, "Yeah, still a little sore though…"

They walked in silence for another moment after that, then Yuki cleared her throat,

"So, what's this new Taichou like?"

"He's alright…Almost everyone likes him…"

"Almost?"

"There are a few who don't…Trust him…"

"You included?"

He nodded, "There's something about him that's a little off…"

"Hm…"

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They arrived at the 3rd division area to find it deserted. It was eerily quiet. They carefully made their way to the Taichou's quarters and Ayako knocked cheerfully on the door,  
"Inori-Taichou!"

After a few seconds, the door slid open,

"Ah, Ayako-Chan, Hisagi-San, welcome…" He smiled, "And you must be the Taichou's I have yet to meet." He turned, "Come in."

They followed him inside and he sat down, inviting them all to do the same. They did so, Hisagi and Yuki sitting across the table from him, watching him. He was very tall and thin. He had dark brown eyes and shaggy, messy, black hair. He had a kind look on his face, but it looked a little bit forced. His quarters were very dark and the only current lighting he had on were candles he'd lit near the table,

"So you two are Toushiro and Yuki Hitsugaya…9th and 10th Division Taichou, eh? I'd heard you were twins, but I didn't know you were identical…" He paused, "I am Kyosuke Inori…It's a pleasure to meet the both of you." He smirked, "I look forward to working with you." As he finished what he was saying, a strange reiatsu flowed momentarily through the room. Yuki glanced up at him, and he quickly turned his attention to Ayako.

Hisagi gave her a little nudge, "See what I mean…?" He whispered.

She nodded, "Yeah…"

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A short while later they all filed back out into the night. Toushiro went back to the 10th division headquarters to start catching up on work that he knew Matsumoto hadn't done while he was gone. Ayako went to meet with some friends in the entertainment district.

Hisagi and Yuki made their way back toward the 9th division area,

"Doesn't anyone else notice what's going on?"

Hisagi shook his head, "It doesn't seem like they do…I think he's just picking who he lets know…like…Aizen kind of…"

"Don't even say that…"

"Sorry, Taichou…It just seems that that's what's going on kinda…" He sighed, "Even Kira doesn't like him…"

"Really..?" She stopped and looked back toward the 3rd division, "Something is going on here…We need to find out what it is…Before something happens…Because it will…I can feel it…"

Hisagi turned around and walked up behind her, "I'm always with you Taichou…But I can't promise that he won't get me too somehow…"

She looked up at him and smiled, "I won't hold it against you if something does happen…" her face turned serious as she turned around and started walking to her division again, "We have to do something soon though…"

Hisagi nodded and followed her.

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` Inori stood in the doorway of his quarters, looking down over the empty 3rd division courtyard. He smirked, "The silence is so nice…" He looked up at the moon, "Just wait Shinigami…I will have my revenge…" He looked down at his partially open robe top. A huge, deep scar cut across his chest. He clenched his fist, "Soon you'll know of true pain and suffering…"

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So that's the end of this story!

I'm going to continue with this, story line. I'm rewriting some of my older fics, so I'm not sure when it'll be up. Hopefully it won't take too long.


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